The Power He Knows Not: Rise of the Jinchuuriki
by arithnocrat
Summary: It is the summer after Harry's fifth year, and the Second War is escalating. Voldemort is branching out to other countries, and pressure grows on Harry to stand and fight. However, someone else from Harry's past is eager for his services. Naruto/HP XOver
1. In Which Harry Gets a Visitor

A/N: Hi people! Yes, this is a Naruto/Harry Potter crossover. However, this is set summer after 5th year, a bit later than most of the the crossovers I've already read. So please, read and enjoy! Don't forget to leave me a review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. I just own the plot.

* * *

A relatively small, scrawny teenage boy crouched in the bushes at the end of Wisteria Walk. He was currently in hiding from the neighborhood bullies, the leader of whom happened to be his older cousin Dudley. Mind you, very few other people saw his point of view. His Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon routinely informed the other inhabitants of Little Whinging that their nephew attended St. Brutus' Center for Incurably Criminal Boys.

Who was this poor boy? He was none other than Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, Savior of the Wizarding World. Right now, though, he felt less like a savior and more like an overused punching bag. Oh wait, that's what he _was_ to his relatives. His back throbbed from the latest punishment from his relatives, coupled with defending young Mark Evans from the neighborhood pigs – er, spineless sacks of flesh – that is to say, Dudley and his groupies.

In addition to the Relatives-From-Hell, Harry was also on the watch for certain _visitors_. He wondered what happened to the guard Dumbledore had assigned to control – no, protect – him. However, given that the Order had asked him to write every three days, he realized they probably _weren't_ watching him every hour of the day.

Bugger. The one summer he might actually need their sodding protection, the Order of the Flaming Turkey decide to leave him to his own devices. Useless fools. Voldemort could come strolling down the street and then what? Oh, that's right, because of the drunken ravings of one demented seer, he was going to kill Voldemort.

Yes, him. The soon-to-be sixteen year-old who hadn't even known about his destiny until a few weeks ago. The one who'd received no extra training before facing off against a psychotic reborn octogenarian who'd practically memorized the entire Hogwarts library. You'd be forgiven for thinking there was no possible way in Heaven, Hell, or between that he could pull such a thing off, because he thought so, too.

Harry stepped out of the bushes after he was sure that his tormentors were nowhere to be seen. His muscles protested the movement vehemently, but he ignored them. He couldn't go back to Mini-Azkaban (that is, Number Four Privet Drive) as his Aunt and Uncle were out of town and had locked him out of the house. Perfect opportunity for the enemy to strike, no?

Fate apparently thought so. A black dagger sailed through the air and into Harry's back. Or it would have, if it weren't for the fact that there was a log in Harry's place. Instead, Harry pressed a similar dagger into his attacker's jugular vein.

"Who are you?" he hissed.

"I see you haven't lost your touch. Don't remember me, Harry-kun? I'm hurt," the person replied.

Harry whirled around. Metal met metal and reflexes Harry had barely used in the past five years sprang back to life. Thrust. Duck. Block.

"Your taijutsu's as good as it was five years ago, Harry-kun. I'm glad you haven't forgotten Orochimaru-sama's teachings."

Harry snarled and dodged a hand covered in a light blue glow. He needed to move this to the park, or better yet, the woods. It wouldn't do to fight out in the open and wreck all these lovely houses. Sunlight glinted off round glasses. That, coupled with the clang of metal striking metal, was the only indication that two people were fighting in the street. As it were, Harry was carefully maneuvering the fight closer to the trees.

"I must commend you on your excellent taijutsu. But how is your ninjutsu? Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Harry's assailant made rapid hand gestures, and five clones of him appeared. Harry cursed violently. Damn the Trace and the Restrictions on Underage Magic! He dropped back into a defensive stance. This was going to be hell. Five hands glowing blue raced towards him. He couldn't dodge them all. He began to duck down when he remembered one of his attacker's favorite methods. Oh shit…

"Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!"

Two glowing blue hands reached up out of the ground… and Harry disappeared. Seven hands connected with a thick branch. From his vantage point in the tree, Harry taunted, "Is that the best you've got, _teme_?"

His attacker smiled, eyes growing colder.

"Not at all, Harry-kun. However, you have yet to show me any of your jutsus. Surely, you haven't forgotten them?"

Harry calmly showed both middle fingers to his opponent before leaping off the branch. He sped downward, his fist connecting solidly with the other fighter's stomach. Harry's face twisted in anger, his eyes glowing dangerously. Blow after blow rained down on him.

"In'yu Shometsu!"

Damn. So much for physical wounds. He'd need to remember that one. Merlin knows it might be the only thing to pull him through the summer. His attacker, now fully healed, stood up, saying to Harry, "As impressive as your taijutsu is, without opening your chakra gates, you'll never be able to defeat me."

Harry scowled, because it was damn true.

Cursing himself, the gods, Merlin, and everything else in sight, Harry brought his hands together. Before this summer, he would never had considered what he was about to do. Well, he might have considered it, but he would never have gone through with it. However, his patience was pushed to the limit, and He. Was. Pissed.

"Katon: Karyu Endan!"

A great dragon of fire flew from Harry's mouth. His attacker, unprepared for the rapid change in tactics, barely managed to avoid being burnt to a crisp. As it were, Harry got the pleasure of seeing the left half of his assailant's body withered and charred. Putting his hands together once more, he prepared a final attack.

"Doton: Retsudotensho!"

The rocks around him, now under his control, attacked his enemy with brutal and unrelenting force. It must be noted that the technique he was using was not meant to be fueled by the amount of power Harry was putting into it. His enemy had no chance. Harry grabbed the barely conscious man and snarled, "You can tell your pedophilic sorry excuse for a shinobi master that my statement five years ago still stands. I. WILL. NOT. JOIN. HIM. Now, kindly crawl back to Lord Snake-face and leave me the hell alone."

Harry vanished from the forest.

A/N: Brownie points to you if you leave me a review. You get a free cookie if you can correctly guess Harry's attacker. Also, about the jutsus - if my descriptions of what they do don't suffice, please go look them up on Wikipedia or something.


	2. In Which the Hokage Debriefs an ANBU

A/N: Hello again! This chapter's a bit shorter than last time, but I was more distracted. I'll try to mix perspectives into each chapter, but this one's completely in the Narutoverse. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. I do not intend to make any money from this (I don't feel like being deported just yet) and this is solely for my plessure and the pleasure of others.

* * *

Tsunade sighed as she considered the stacks of paperwork in front of her. This was the part of being a Hokage she had _not_ signed up for. She looked out her window to Hokage Mountain. Her gaze rested on the face of the Sandaime Hokage, her mentor, and then on the Yondaime Hokage, the Yellow Flash, the greatest shinobi Konoha ever had.

Her thoughts drifted to another blond shinobi she knew. He had just lost his godfather… The boy had such a large burden on his shoulders. She wished she could reach out and comfort him, but after so many years of living and fighting by himself, he was too used to dealing with sorrow on his own. There wasn't much she could do about the situation, and she hated it.

"Hokage-sama."

A soft, sorrowful voice broke her out of her reverie. A young man wearing a fox mask stood in front of her desk. Fox was the current captain of the ANBU, giving Uchiha Itachi a run for his money in terms of age and skill. His posture was relaxed yet not enough to be considered unaware or disrespectful. He wore a black trench coat with flames licking up from the hems. Underneath, he wore a white shirt, black pants, and black sandals. Unseen, the insides of his cloak was lined with scrolls, kunai, shuriken, and senbon. He had a katana at his side as well.

"Fox, what do you know, you're actually here on time. Relax."

"Hai. What's this about, Baachan?"

"So far the only threats to the shinobi world since the Great Shinobi Wars have been Orochimaru, the Akatsuki, and a few missing-nin. However, an evil is arising outside the shinobi nations. I have been contacted by many of our contacts – namely wizards. They are shinobi of sorts. They know almost no taijutsu, but their ninjutsu, genjutsu, and seals are plentiful, albeit very different from ours."

Curiosity piqued, the ANBU asked against his better judgement, "How so?"

"They don't use chakra. Or perhaps, it is that their chakra is different from ours. They need an instrument to channel it, a wooden stick called a wand. I believe they call it magic. Either way, they have powers that separate them from normal people. Recently, a megalomaniac from their world called Voldemort has become a threat to our society. He's quite like the Akatsuki in Orochimaru's body. He's proposing an alliance between the three groups. Oddly enough, his target, apart from world domination, is a boy your age."

"So, like Orochimaru and Sasuke?"

"Not quite. Voldemort has no intention of getting this boy to join his side. His goal is the elimination of the boy. Which bring us to why you're here."

"You're sending me on a mission," he said flatly.

"Hai. Don't worry; you'll be here for the funeral. You're not leaving until September 1. You'll be joining as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and may end up staying until or past the end of term. I doubt you'll learn much, but you never know. Your objectives are to protect the boy and those affiliated with him, eliminate Voldemort and any possible ties with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki, and update our relationships with the other nations, namely Great Britain. You and your team, who should be arriving within the next half hour, have the next month to familiarize yourselves with the customs of the world you'll be entering.

"Onto the boy. His name is Harry James Potter. We don't have very much information on him, unfortunately."

The ANBU flipped through the scant folder. He frowned.

"His medical records are horrible. Neglect?"

"Possibly."

"That could be problematic. He could be clouded by revenge."

"It's likely, but the fact remains that he opposes Voldemort. Making sure he remains that way falls under protecting him, by the way."

"Understood. My team?"

"I'm getting there. Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba."

"I see… If Orochimaru is intending to form an alliance with Voldemort, it is highly likely he has or will approach Potter-san. It is also likely he will send Sasuke to Hogwarts. The Akatsuki members are too old."

"Very good. Also, the Kazekage will be joining you."

"Gaara's coming? How will Suna function without their Kage for a year? I thought Temari-san was the liaison – oh, wait, she's too old."

Tsunade chuckled as the youth answered his own question. He may have been her best shinobi, but he was also a sixteen-year-old boy. She continued, "Exactly. I believe the Kazekage's siblings have been worried about him overworking himself. They're also having trouble with the village council again – I don't need to remind you that this is hearsay, and therefore confidential – so they believe this is a suitable alternative."

The ANBU nodded, digesting all the information given to him. Tsunade looked at the clock once more.

"Your teammates and their Jounin senseis will arrive in about five minutes. How do you plan on revealing yourself to them?"

The ANBU sighed, "I'll slip in a minute or two late. You can announce me when you talk about Gaara. Kami, they're going to go into conniptions when they find out. Are you sure I have to do this?"

Tsunade chuckled, a mischevious glint in her eyes.

"Of course. They shouldn't be _too_ surprised. After all, you're going to be the next Hokage."

* * *

A/N: Brownie points for a review, and a free cookie if you can guess the identity of the ANBU. Seriously, it's not that hard to guess.


	3. In Which Some Truths Are Revealed

A/N: Onward we go! This chapter has a bit of the HPverse and the Narutoverse in it. This chapter is the shortest I've written so far, but I felt like leaving off on a dramatic note. Brownie points to mpc797 for leaving me a review. A sugar cookie to Shinmoto Amaya for correctly guessing the identity of the ANBU (which the rest of you will find out today). Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. If I did, I would be filthy rich and _not_ writing a disclaimer.

* * *

"Alright, Potter, get a grip. Focus your chakra where it needs to go… Damn, I never thought I'd say that again."

Harry sighed and leaned back. He was sitting under a tree in the park, not far from Mini-Azkaban. His wounds were healing up slowly. Perhaps blocking his tenketsu points five years ago wasn't such a good idea. Well, no matter now. The sudden rush of chakra he had used for fiery dragon had completely unblocked them. He closed his eyes, remembering the last time he felt his chakra flowing through his body…

_--FLASHBACK—_

_A pale lanky man with hollow cheeks holds up a syringe…_

_Thick cords of leather hold him down as screams – were they his? – echo in his ears…_

_Dirty brown skin…_

_Two heads on one body…_

_Bones shooting out of flesh…_

_Sickly yellow eyes gleaming sadistically…_

_--END—_

Harry's eyes shot open, his breathing labored. That was a bad idea, a very, very bad idea. Brilliant, _another_ pair of eyes etched into his mind. Burning devil red wasn't bad enough, he had to deal with _this_ again! Well, he could say goodbye to sleeping for the next several months.

Harry ran his fingers through his eternally messy hair, and blinked in surprise. Nestled within his tangled locks was a small tube, about the size used to hold message on messenger pigeons. How had it gotten there? His mind flashed back to the fight he had just left, and the number of times his attacker's hands had passed his head.

"Bloody hell. The idiot doesn't know when to give up."

He wasn't going to open it. No, he wasn't. He had no intention of paying attention to anything that bastard had to say. Besides, it was probably covered in some highly lethal mind-controlling jutsu. No, he was going to ignore it.

But… it hadn't killed him yet. It had been sitting harmlessly in his hair for who knows how long. He probably wouldn't have noticed it for at least two days otherwise, and that would only be if he showered. Further, it could have fallen out at any time during the battle, so it would be pointless to waste the effort putting any jutsu on it.

Against his better judgment, he popped it open and unfurled the tiny scroll. He wished he hadn't. His life had just taken a sharp, drastic turn for the worse.

_The Snake Lords and Demon Hunters have joined together._

Well, shit.

* * *

"Dammit, where is Naruto?! Gomen, Tsunade-shishou, I couldn't find him anywhere. I swear, when I get my hands on that baka, I'll…"

"Sakura, calm down. Is everyone else here?"

Tsunade looked at the people gather in her office: Shizune, Hatake Kakashi, Yuhi Kurenai, and Maito Gai stood against the wall, while Sakura, Neji, Hinata, and Kibs stood in front of her desk. Sakura was fuming, Neji was indifferent, Hinata was staring at the floor, pushing her index fingers together, and Kiba was stroking Akamaru's fur.

"Alright! You four, pay attention! Your new assignment is a long-term mission, S-rank. It has three parts: diplomacy, protection, and elimination. You are leaving the country and traveling to a nation called Great Britain. You will be asked to protect a boy named Harry Potter. You are to eliminate a maniac named Voldemort, whose allies are rumored to be Orochimaru and the Akatsuki…"

The shock and deluge of information made them temporarily forget that Naruto wasn't in the room yet. Tsunade went through the mission in detail, as she had with her favorite ANBU a half hour prior.

"Naruto, you'll be please to know that the Kazekage will be accompanying you on this mission."

All heads save Tsunade's turned to the blond, who was standing nonchalantly beside Sakura. There was a moment of silence as the elite Jounin and Chuunin processed the fact that the dead least Genin had entered the room without their notice. But it was only a moment.

"NARUTO-BAKA! YOU'RE LATE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, YOU IDIOT?"

Sakura's fist, reinforced with chakra sailed towards Naruto's head… and didn't connect. Shock didn't even begin to describe what the other ninjas felt. Without so much as batting an eyelash, Naruto had grabbed the kunoichi's wrist and stopped the blow from reaching its destination. Sakura stared at the tanned hand that held her wrist in its vice-like grip as it forced her arm down.

"Please continue," he said calmly to Tsunade.

Tsunade's lips twitched as she continued, "Naruto came in when I first mentioned the Akatsuki. The reason's behind the Kazkage's decision are his to divulge. Your leader on this mission will be an ANBU who, in my humble opinion, gives Uchiha Itachi a run for his money. Drop your genjutsu, Naruto."

The illusion around Naruto shattered, revealing his previous attire, including his mask. He released Sakura's hand and pulled off his mask revealing bright blue eyes and six thin lines across his face.

"I present to you Fox, the ANBU Captain, also known as Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

A/N: Brownie points for a review! Cookies if you can guess who the people from Harry' flashback or letter are. Come on people, it's pretty obvious, and no, I am not above bribing for a review. Jeesh...


	4. In Which Harry Uses His Chakra

A/N: W00t! Longest chapter yet! Brownie points to krynny for leaving me a review. 2 reviews, 435 hits, 6 alerts, and 6 faves to date! Read and enjoy, people!

Anyway, I should make some things clear about what I've done to the plot. This story is liberally AU. Therefore, as a heads up, I'm going to give away some plot points:

- Gaara is still a Jinchuuriki. He was saved before the Akatsuki killed him.

- Sasuke still serves under Orochimaru. Take Jiraiya's fight against Pain and Sasuke killing Orochimaru and flip them in time. Kind of. Orochimaru lives, and Sasuke still gets his ass handed to him by Itachi.

- Itachi is still evil. He wouldn't be siding with Moldyshorts otherwise.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. Please believe me.

* * *

Kakashi dropped his book. Everyone else forgot to breathe. Naruto sighed.

"Obaa-chan…"

"This is a joke, right? There's no way that dobe is an ANBU!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Yeah, very funny, sensei. Who's the real ANBU Captain?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and partially removed his jacket, revealing his ANBU tattoo. His tone was somewhat bitter as he replied, "It's no joke. I really am an ANBU. I was a Jounin when I supposedly graduated from the Academy. Obaa-chan made me ANBU after Sasuke-teme defected."

"But you've never gone on any missions outside of Team 7!" Sakura protested.

Naruto snorted. Tsunade decided to interve, decidedly unhappy with Kiba and Sakura's response.

"Actually, thanks to a teleportation jutsu that his father created, Fox complete missions that would take others at least a week without missing more than two days of training. His training journey with Jiraiya was simply a long-term mission I gave him."

Throughout this, the Hyuugas had remained silent, opting instead to survey the others' reactions. So they alone caught the brief flash of hurt in Naruto's eyes, the shame mixed with pride in Kakashi's posture, and the debilitating shock from Kurenai and Gai. Turning back to Sakura and Kiba, who were violently protesting, Hinata asked Neji, "Are we truly the only ones who believe in him? That he _can_ become the next Hokage?"

"Perhaps," Neji replied, but Tsunade interrupted by punching her desk, turning it into a pile of splinters.

"ENOUGH! You can hash it out later! For Kami's sake, let me at least finish debriefing you!"

Tsunade tossed scrolls at them as she summarized her previous conversation with Naruto.

"You have until September 1st to learn about England and familiarize yourself with its culture. Your school books should arrive within two weeks. Your Jounin senseis will work with you to make sure you are well prepared. Now, DISMISSED!"

* * *

Stupid Order of the Flaming Turkey. Stupid numskull Dumbledore-sycophants. How dare they? What right did they have to prevent him from attending _his own godfather's funeral_? To say Harry was fuming was s gross understatement. Said boy was subconsciously releasing enormous waves of killing intent that not only petrified everyone in his neighborhood, but also made some of them wet themselves.

Harry paced back and forth in his room, his hands twitching in half-formed seals. What he wouldn't give to release his chakra right now, vent some of his anger. Unfortunately, most of the jutsus he knew would decimate Mini-Azkaban with the amount of chakra he put into them.

Harry growled, desperately wanting to punch something. However, since he unblocked his tenketsu points four days ago, there was the problem that whatever he punched might actually break. Still, he needed to do _something_. What did he know that was non-lethal and still used enough chakra so that he could exhaust himself? Harry looked up at the ceiling. Then he looked at his feet.

Perfect.

About four hours later, Harry had sufficiently calmed down enough to realize that his uncle would be home anytime soon and was likely to get an aneurysm seeing Harry walking upside down on the ceiling. He also noticed the killing intent he was giving off, which shocked him enough that he crashed to the floor unceremoniously.

"BOY! WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?"

Harry winced as his aunt's screeching tore at his eardrums. A few seconds later, Petunia stuck her head into the room to see Harry picking himself up off the floor, nursing a bruised shoulder. She scowled, regarding him through narrowed eyes. He blinked back owlishly. Seeing nothing amiss and no evidence of Harry's _freakishness_, she had no choice but to return to the living room, where she spied on her neighbors through the window.

After his aunt had left, Harry let loose a barrage of whispered curses. His shoulder protested violently at any movement, but he had not spent nearly four years training (however unwillingly) under the most twisted shinobi to hail from the Elemental Nations for nothing. He knew how to deal with pain. Oh yes, he knew very well.

When Vernon slammed the door to his house shut, announcing his arrival, Harry had just pulled a pan of steamed vegetables of the stove. No injury was worth leaving his chores unfinished, not unless it was life threatening. He served the Dursleys silently and efficiently, with quick, conserved movements, before retreating to a corner of the room to await further instructions.

He had always been good at hiding and escaping notice, and his _training_ had only served to fine-tune that skill. So, Harry wasn't surprised when Vernon sported a look of utter shock when he noticed his nephew standing in the corner.

"Well, what are you standing about for? Get these dishes cleaned! If they're done in the next fifteen minutes, you can have the leftovers."

"Ha – Yes, Uncle Vernon."

Vernon glared at his nephew suspiciously, trying discerning the meaning of the first syllable Harry uttered. In the end, he simply grunted, as his mind didn't have much room for thought. Harry, for his part, was cursing himself for his slip of tongue. Five years! Five years he had gone without uttering one word of Japanese, and now it was practically rushing out of him. Gods, he was out of shape.

True to his word, the dishes were clean within fifteen minutes. Mind you, Harry wasn't exactly following the rules. It was amazing what a few shadow clones and a Water Style jutsus could do. In his defense, his only decent meal for the next forty-eight hours was on the line.

"BOY! GET IN HERE!"

Harry swallowed the last carrot and stood submissively before his uncle.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon?"

"Watch your tone, boy. I'm having a very important guest visit over the weekend. He will be staying in Dudley's spare room. You are to clean up the room and make it presentable. When you are done, you return to your cupboard. You will stay there until he leaves. He will be here in three hours. Well, what are you waiting for? Get to work!"

Harry barely dodged a meaty fist aimed at his head.

"Uncle Vernon, my O.W.L. – my test scores will be coming sometime soon" – seeing his Uncle's hostile glare, he continued swiftly – "I can stop the owls from coming, but I need to use my _talents_."

Vernon seemed to be at war with himself. Eventually, he hissed, "How long will it take?"

"Ten minutes at the most."

"Well, get on with," Vernon grunted with a jerk of his head that sent his many chins wobbling.

Harry dashed outside. In truth, it would take thirty seconds at most, but any time spent outside was good. In the back yard, he created three shadow clones and the four Harrys moved to the corners of the house. Two jumped onto the roof, and their hands sped through a series of seals. Four hands slammed onto the closest surface of the house, and a series of black characters raced out. Seconds later, they, along with the clones, vanished.

"Four layer genjutsu, with a few inactive trapping seals thrown in for good measure. I'd like to see an owl beat that!"

Harry went inside to clean the smallest bedroom.

* * *

A/N: Alright, I took major liberties with what Harry did to the house. Let's pretend it's something he picked up on his "training", ne? Brownie points for a review!


	5. In Which There Are Confrontations

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back! Many thanks to my diligent readers, even if not all of them left a review! Brownie points to Goddess of X-overs, Shinmoto Amaya, pAge-bReaTher, and kunaithower3000 for leaving me a review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter!

* * *

The group exited Tsunade's office. Naruto turned and walked towards the exit of Hokage Tower.

"Naruto! Where do you think you're going!"

The blonde looked back at Sakura confusedly.

"Ichiraku's, of course. It's nearly lunch time!"

A vein twitched in Sakura's forehead. She grabbed her teammate by the collar.

"Oh no you don't! You've got a hell of an explanation to give, mister!"

Naruto exploded in a cloud of smoke. Sakura gaped at the spot where the shadow clone had been. From further down the corridor, the real Naruto said, "If you want to know, come have lunch with me."

* * *

"Ohayo, Naruto!"

Umino Iruka leaned against the ramen stand, tapping his fingers in boredom.

"Ohayo, Iruka-sensei!"

"That's a quite a group you've got. Finally converted them, have you?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"Nah, just for a chat."

As Iruka and Naruto exchanged pleasantries, Kakashi's eye was drawn to Naruto's thumb, which was tapping against his other fingers in a pattern… his mind froze. As if one shock wasn't enough, Naruto was giving him solid proof that he was a member of the ANBU. His fingers tapped in the ANBU sign language, and Iruka, ex-ANBU Administrator of Interrogation, responded accordingly.

Baachan told them… mission?… out of country… they angry?… as all hell… Dog watching

Well, damn, he had been caught. Iruka gazed piercingly at Naruto's Jounin-sensei. His meek countenance faded into something harder and more battle weary. He made eye contact with the entire group before saying somberly, "Let's head to a more secure location for this conversation, shall we?"

"But Iruka-sensei, I want ramen for lunch!"

* * *

After myriads of twists and turns, Iruka stopped in front of a non-descript white building. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. The building was covered in a genjutsu that would have made Kurenai proud. In fact, the crimson-eyed Jounin looked at Iruka appreciatively, who bowed his head slightly in return. Their interaction covered just over two seconds.

When they entered the building Iruka threw a package at Naruto. The blond's face lit up.

"RAMEN!"

Iruka chuckled as he sped off to find the kitchen. He turned to the others, all mirth vanishing from his face.

"So what do you want to know?"

* * *

The cupboard was smaller than he remembered. Then again, he was larger than before. Not much larger, mind you, he was still short and skinny at 5' 4". He looked more like a thirteen-year-old boy than the sixteen-year-old almost-of-age wizard he was.

After the seventh time his uncle yelled at him for knocking against the sides of his prison, he decided to take drastic measures. He pressed his hands against the floor and called up his chakra.

A few minutes later, Harry rapped his knuckles against the door. Vernon didn't hear a thing. Smiling, Harry knocked his way into a more comfortable lotus position.

It was time to visit an old friend.

* * *

Dark. That was the only way to describe this place. It had been light, once. He had been able to see the stone floor of his home, warmed by a crackling fire. He had been able to see out into the world, to view the people who had imprisoned him.

Then came the day of the explosion. So much pain, fear, and rage that he nearly choked on it. He heard the screams, and his bloodlust stirred within him. Perhaps, perhaps he would finally be set free!

And then there was nothing. No sound, no sight, no scent, no taste, no touch, nothing – simply the knowledge that he existed. Time had no meaning here… There was but one thought to hold on to, the knowledge of his existence. Slowly, he pulled out his memories, as well. They were all he had, after all.

It continued this way for how long… days? Months? Years? Seconds? He didn't know. He simply waited in the nothingness for the light to return.

It came.

He was suddenly plunged back into a battle. Colors and sounds swirled around him, assaulting his senses, and he relished the sensation. Perhaps he shouldn't have, for it was all over before he could release his bloodlust. He settled down eventually, traversing him room from corner to corner repeatedly.

After so long – was it long? – a wait, it was time to meet an old friend.

* * *

Harry opened his eyes. He was standing on a cliff over looking a vast field, perhaps one hundred meters away from a cave entrance. He approached it with some trepidation.

**So how long has it been, gaki?**

Harry gulped. Oh, he was in deep shit now.

**How long did you leave me in that detestable nothingness?**

"Eh… Eight years," the boy replied, steeling himself for the other's reaction.

**EIGHT YEARS! WHY YOU-**

"I had no choice!" Harry exclaimed, "I was in critical condition from the blast, and my body went on autopilot. My magic took over and sealed away everything related to… that time."

**Magic?... So, you're one of them, then…**

The hairs on Harry's neck stood up. He had a feeling the other speaker's features were twisted into a sadistic smile.

**We'll just have to adjust your training, then, won't we?**

The raven-haired wizard paled even further. He reiterated hoarsely, "My training?"

**Of course, gaki,** came the sinister laughter,** Y****ou didn't think your little stunt would go unpunished, did you?**

Harry was about to reply when a ripple passed across the field. And then another. And a third, and a fourth.

"Kuso! I have to leave. Now!"

**Gaki!**

Harry left as a fifth shockwave passed through the area. Opening his eyes to the familiar, yet claustrophobic, darkness of the cupboard under the stairs, Harry immediately cast out his senses. His heart fell, out of his body and into the depths of the abyss.

Uchiha Itachi had just torn through his five layers of genjutsu.

* * *

A/N: You get a cookie for guessing who was in the dark, and who spoke in **bold**! Brownie points for a review!


	6. In Which Naruto Reveals His Secret

A/N: Hi everyone! How's it going? You have no idea how badly I wanted to write Kiba and Gai out of the story, but I need them there for alter purposes. So, if their parts don't quite match up to your expectations, gomen. I can't write the two of them to save my life.

Brownie points to krynny and FoxySpirit for leaving me a review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

"Is Naruto really in ANBU?"

Iruka nodded.

"He works in recon and assassination."

"That's an interesting combination," Kurenai remarked.

"YOSH! KURENAI-SAN IS CORRECT! HOW DID NARUTO-KUN ACHIEVE SUCH A YOUTHFUL POSITION?" Gai declared, finally breaking out his stupor.

Iruka winced and rubbed his ears.

"He works mostly in recon – strengths and weaknesses of the heirs, possible traitors," – he muttered 'Mizuki' under his breath – "and things like that. The assassinations are for extra money to pay the bills his bastard of a landlord forces on him."

The others took time to digest this information while Iruka discussed Naruto's situation (which was rapidly turning into a rant). Genin at 7, Chunin at 8, Jounin at 11, ANBU at 13.

When said prodigy returned, he not only held a cup of ramen in his hands, but a clone followed with a tray of onigiri and other goodies for the others to eat. As he set the table, his eyes flicked over the others. Kurenai was surprised, with a seed of respect in her eyes. The Hyuugas were barely readable, as always, but they caught his glance and gave him miniscule nods of supports and acceptance. Gai took his cue from Kurenai. Iruka was being protective again, though he also looked somewhat smug. Kiba was listening to Iruka with – for probably the first time – wide-eyed amazement. Kakashi stared at the ground, resigned and ashamed. And Sakura… Sakura's eyes were cold and unforgiving, filled with an icy rage.

"What? Aren't you going to eat?"

Everyone save Sakura sweat-dropped. ANBU or not, Naruto was still Naruto.

"You BASTARD!" Sakura shrieked. She leaped forward in attack.

"Sakura!"

"Sakura-san!"

Naruto dropped into a defensive stance, hard put to block her strikes without injuring anything. This wasn't his house, after all.

"If you're so good… so damn strong… Why the hell couldn't you save him?… Why didn't you bring my Sasuke-kun BACK!"

Blow after blow rained down on the blond as she screamed. A final punch sent him through the wall.

"That's enough, Sakura-san!"

With more daring than she was supposed to have possessed, Hinata paralyzed Sakura while Kakashi held her still. Sakura glared at the offensive white hand. Her gaze was averted as Naruto pulled himself out of the rubble. Physically, he wasn't hurt apart from some bruising which would heal within the hour, but his eyes held a deeper pain. Dusting off his cloak, he asked, "What do you know about the Chidori, Sakura?"

The query about the Lightning Assassination technique threw everyone for a loop, though Kakashi felt his stomach churn.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sakura snapped.

Naruto sighed and removed his cloak and shirt.

"Iie…"

"Oh Kami…"

"What-what is that?"

Amidst the tan skin of Naruto's chest lay two perfectly circular scars with spidery tendrils reaching out in every direction. He turned around, giving them a glimpse of another scar on his back that matched the ones on his chest. He replied somewhat bitterly, "At the Valley of the End, _he_ put a Chidori through my chest. Twice. Name the shinobi who've survived getting a Chidori through their chest _once_."

Stunned silence was his only response. Kakshi felt as if his insides were being crushed.

"You have the damn fox!" Sakura shrieked, finally reaching hysteria.

"Sakura, do you know how much chakra it takes to re-grow a lung? _One tail's worth_. It took _another_ tail's worth to heal my shoulder blade, ribcage, and the front half of my heart. Add to that the _third_ tail I was already using to fight Sasuke, and I was pumping enough youkai to obliterate my chakra network! Seriously, it's like using hydrochloric acid to clean someone's arteries! No normal ANBU could have lived through that _and you know it!_"

Sakura kicked Kakshi and stumbled out of the room, sobbing. Gai and Kuernai made to follow her, but Kakshi motioned for them to stay. Kiba then happily put his foot in his mouth by asking, "Yo, dobe, what was that fox Sakura was talking about?"

The four adults turned their very pissed off gazes on him. Naruto sighed heavily again, steeling himself for further rejection. Molding his chakra, he showed the circular black tattoo surrounding his navel.

"The Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi no Kitsune into me shortly after I was born," he said in one rapid breath, not quite being able to hide the flinch as he anticipated their reactions.

Hinata stared in shock at the object of her affections. It wasn't so much the statement as the flinch that followed which left her reeling. Damn, how could fate be so cruel? For the demon that destroyed countless lives in Konoha to be sealed within the village's most loyal shinobi. He was tense, looking anywhere but at them, waiting for the blows, the harsh words. He looked so vulnerable, he who was the loudest, the strongest, the bravest...

It was hard to tell who was more surprised when Hinata stepped up to Naruto and put her hand on his shoulder, pulling him into a hug. He started to push her away, trembling slightly. She slipped her hand into his and held firm. Neji came up beside her and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, followed by Kiba.

Naruto's heart nearly stopped in his chest. And then it soared. They accepted him. Demon and all, they were willing to stay by his side. He blinked back the tears that were forming. He didn't cry; he hadn't cried since he was four. Crying in the shinobi world meant nothing; no one would come for him. But maybe… maybe it was okay to cry just this once, because he was so _happy_.

"You're such a crybaby, dobe!"

"Shut up, dogboy!"

Perhaps things would work out after all.


	7. In Which Harry Fights Itachi

A/N: Hi everyone! This chapter's one of my shorter chapters, but then again, it only focuses on two characters. Hmm... I feel like there's something important about my story I should be saying here... Oh yeah! Brownie points to Chite for leaving me a review.

Dislcaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

* * *

Uchiha Itachi. The name left a bitter taste in his mouth and a searing pain in his heart. The man he had looked up to, trusted, only to be discarded and reviled for circumstances beyond his control.

Itachi was part of the Akatsuki. It fit, given the treatment Harry had suffered at his hands. How many people had he killed? Apart from the 300-odd members of the Uchiha Clan, that is. How many demons had been captured so far?

"Thank you for inviting me into your house, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. Your appreciation for my country's custom's is highly valued."

"Of course, of course. Right this way, Mr. Uchiha."

Harry stifled a snort as they passed his cupboard. Country's customs indeed. The Akatsuki was here to scout him out. Idly, he wondered if Itachi had requested this mission, or if fate just really hated him that much.

He stiffened when he felt something wash over him. Genjutsu. Glowing white letters appeared on the door.

_How are you, Shinji? Do your relatives treat you well? Your Aunt keeps a very immaculate house, don't you think? Her cooking is amazing._

Harry scowled. Itachi was just trying to get under his skin. He _knew_ Harry was the one who had slaved over the stove cooking dinner. _Harry _was the one on his hands and knees cleaning every nook and cranny of the house. But he was _not_ going to let Itachi win. Not anymore. Itachi meant nothing to him. He refused to have anything to do with him anymore. Nope, not a thing.

"Kai!"

Several hours passed. Harry could barely restrain himself from screaming and tearing his hair out as his relatives fawned over the ninja-in-disguise. Finally, though, Vernon herded his guest upstairs into the room Harry had prepared. Petunia yanked open the cupboard door and pulled Harry into the kitchen.

"Hurry up, Freak! The dishes need to be washed and dried. And don't you dare make any noise waking Mr. Uchiha up!"

Harry stamped down the killer intent he was about to release. He'd have to do this the hard way. Even the slightest flare of chakra would alert the Sharingan bastard of his power. He knew a genius like Itachi could easily determine his power from his chakra signature, no matter how little chakra he put out.

As the night wore on, Harry's mind wandered down long-forgotten corridors and into the past…

_--FLASHBACK—_

"_Itachi-nii! Look what I can do!"_

_A small boy races towards Itachi. The older boy simply raises an eyebrow. Suddenly, his surroundings shimmer and he is no longer standing in Orochimaru's lair. Instead, he is in a vast yellow cavern. The scene shimmers once more, and Itachi is back in the caves._

"_Shinj, the point of a genjutsu is to __not__ tell your opponent what's going on."_

_The younger boy pouts._

"_Doesn't matter, you broke it anyway."_

"_I'm a Sharingan user, Shinji. Genjutsu doesn't work well on me."_

"_I'll get you one day, Itachi-nii!"_

_--END—_

"Shinji."

Harry nearly dropped the plate he was drying. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could he have not noticed Itachi enter the kitchen! Setting the plate down, he growled back, "Go to hell, Itachi-teme."

"Tsk, tsk. Such vulgarities. Didn't anyone teach you any manners? For one, you should always look your elders in the eye when they are speaking to you."

The S-ranked criminal stepped up behind Harry and forcibly spun him around. For once grateful for his short stature, Harry kept his eyes trained just past Itachi's shoulder. The number one rule when fighting Itachi Uchiha was to avoid eye contact on pain of death. For his part, Itachi was amused that the junchuuriki's head only came up to his chin. Was shortness a common trait among the jinchuuriki? Neither the Godaime Kazekage, nor the Kitsune, nor Nii Yugito had even broken five-and-a-half feet.

"Still so small, Shinji?"

Despite himself, Harry snapped back, "You're just too tall!"

_--FLASHBACK—_

"_Aww, come on, Itachi-nii! Give it back!"_

_Itachi held a scroll above the younger boy's head, smirking as he tried to reach it._

"_Come now, Shinji. It's not that high."_

_After a few more minutes of fruitless labor, Itachi returned the scroll._

"_Still so small, Shinji."_

_Said boy scowled and snapped, "You're just too tall!"_

_--END—_

Harry's flashback gave Itachi ample time to tilt the boy's head upwards and force their gazes to meet. Black eyes changed to red with a black triangular swirl in the center, reflected in the round glasses of the green-eyed boy.

"Do you remember this, Shinji? My Mangekyou Sharingan."

Harry mentally struggled, but his body refused to respond, held in the thrall of Itachi's hypnotic crimson eyes. So much for the no eye contact rule.

"Tsukuyomi."

Reality fell away and Harry found himself tied to a pole. His shirt was missing, exposing his pale skin to the elements. Itachi stood before him, a dagger in hand. He dragged the dagger over Harry's arm, piercing the skin. The boy refused to cry out. It was just a genjustu. The pain wasn't real.

"Oh, the pain is very real, Shinji. Three days of pain in my world, and you've only tasted a mere second of it."

"My name is _Harry Potter. _Use it, asshole."

Itachi slashed viciously across Harry's torso, from his right shoulder all the way down to his left hip, twisting the blade hard at the end. Harry couldn't hold back his scream this time.

"Seventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes and fifty-five seconds to go."

* * *

Early the next morning, Petunia walked into the kitchen to find almost all the dishes washed and dried and her nephew catatonic on the floor.


	8. In Which Naruto Recruits People

A/N: Whoo! Aren't you lot the lucky ones! Another chapter already. I have been attacked by the inspiration bug. And by attacked, I mean mauled to near death, healed, and then mauled once more. As such, I present to you the longest chapter yet! Everything in here is incredibly important to the plot, and it's a mix of both perspectives! So read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

* * *

**Wake up, gaki,**

Harry slowly peeled his eyes open. He groaned and pushed his magic through his body. No broken bones, not even any bruises. So why did he feel like shit?

**Because the Weasel raped your mind. It's taken me three days to wake you up.**

"Dear Kami… I don't have three days to waste!"

**Why didn't you use your shields?**

"My… what?"

**Your shields, gaki. Your Occlumency shields may be pathetically weak, but they might have been able to save your skin.**

"… Magic works against chakra?"

**YES, YOU FOOL!**

Harry winced. Here came the lecture.

**Genjutsu is the manipulation of the chakra flow in someone's brain. Your Occlumency shields form a barrier to prevent anyone from accessing and manipulating your chakra flow. If you can put your shields up **_**before**_** someone casts a genjutsu on you, you won't be affected. However, the shield prevents you from accessing anyone else's chakra stream either.**

"Being a genjutsu master, I can break and manipulate any genjutsu not born of a kekkai genkai. However, if I want to fight Itachi, or even Voldemort, it's crucial that I shield my mind. My taijutsu is adequate, my ninjutsu would suck miserably if it weren't for my large chakra reserves. So, this summer, I need to master Occlumency, keep up with my tai and ninjutsu, try not to get killed, and finish my summer homework. Fun."

**What about your seals?**

"Chikuso! My O.W.L. results!"

**That's not what I meant. You're a Seal Apprentice as well, gaki. Use your head!**

"I didn't become one of my own volition!"

**Nonetheless, you will continue working on your seals!**

"Hai, Hebi-sama."

* * *

"Ohayo, Anko-chan!"

Mitarashi Anko swallowed her dango and turned to the greeter.

"What do you want, gaki?"

"Baa-chan wants me to recruit you for a long-term mission to Great Britain."

Something flashed in the kunoichi's eyes.

"And she sent you because…?"

"Fox got named team leader!"

Anko smiled. It wasn't one of her sadistic, evil-psycho-woman leers that gave you nightmares for weeks, though. It was the kind of smile a sister gave to her younger brother when he accomplished something great.

"So you finally told them, huh."

"Ano… right now, it's just Neji, Hinata-chan, Kiba, and Sakura."

Anko noticed the –chan added to the end of Hinata's name, and the lack thereof at the end of Sakura's.

"Oh, and before I forget, we're going up against Orochimaru," Naruto called over his shoulder as he ran far, far away.

"NANI? GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!"

* * *

"Konnichiwa, Yamato-sensei!"

Yamato, a.k.a Tenzo waved to Naruto.

"Konnichiwa, Naruto. What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Baa-chan wants me to recruit you for a long-term mission to Great Britain."

Something flashed in Yamato's eyes, the same something that flashed in Anko's eyes earlier that day. Naruto finally realized what it was – recognition.

"Ah, the one with Orochimaru that Anko was ranting about, ne?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Guess she already found you."

Yamato laughed, "I'd watch my step around her if I were you. Anyway, I'll go talk to the Godaime. Ja ne."

* * *

Harry scoped out the house. Vernon was at work. Apparently, the deal fell through, which meant lots of yelling, no food, and a sore body for Harry. Dudley was out being his hooligan self, seriously, that boy was just begging to get arrested. Petunia was out gossiping with the neighbors three doors down. And he was locked in the cupboard under the stairs. Again.

On the plus side, he had used a demonic Henge (which actually changed him physically) to transform himself into his five-year-old self so that he had space to do his homework. He also discovered that he needed a new trunk because his potions kit from three years back had broken and mold was now creeping up the insides of the trunk. He suspected that the bottom of the trunk and the clothes there would have been infested as well.

He sighed in frustration and raised his fist to pound on the door. He sighed again and let his hand fall forward, fist unclenched. The door opened.

Harry stared at the door. And then at his hand. And then at the door again.

**You going out or what?**

Harry blinked.

**Hey! Now is not the time to go into shock. Your shields are failing.**

"But… I just performed wandless magic. That's supposed to be nearly impossible!"

**What are you talking about? You used to do it all the time before.**

"I did?"

Harry searched through his memories. Damn. He _had_ been trained in wandless magic. He knew how to create a light, unlock a door, move objects, create a shield, knock people unconscious, shrink and enlarge objects, and see magic in others. Well then.

Focusing his magic, he waved his hand over his trunk. It shrunk about three inches. Great. More things to practice. But, first things first. He needed to get food, placate the Order of the Flaming Turkey, and get his O.W.L. results.

Armed with a glass of orange juice, a three-cheese and ham sandwich, owl treats, parchment, and a pen, Harry broke into the garage. He stroked his owl's snowy white feathers. She glared at him with her amber eyes for waking her up, but then hooted and nipped his fingers affectionately.

"Hey girl. How're you holding up? I've got your favorite treats."

Harry watched his first friend as she ate for what was probably the first time in the past three days. He scribbled out his letter:

_Dear Order;_

_Sorry about the delay. Uncle Vernon had a guest over, and we were all very busy. I'm alright here. Hope to see you soon._

_Harry J. Potter_

_P.S. – Please let Hedwig stay with you for as long as she needs. I don't think she's feeling well, and she needs to be in a better environment. I'll use the DA galleons if anything happens._

"Here you go, girl. Take this to the Order of the Phoenix, okay? I want you to stay there – pretend you're ill, or something. No matter what happens, I don't want you to return to Privet Drive. The summer's becoming more and more uncertain, and I want you alive when I get to Hogwarts."

Hedwig hooted mournfully, her eyes clearly saying 'I don't want to leave on your own.'

"I know girl, but it's for the best. Go on, fly out."

It took Harry about five minutes to successfully shrink Hedwig's cage down to the size of a matchbox. He tucked it into his pocket and walked up the wall of the house to check his seals. In the seal in the northwest corner of the roof actually held three owls, all of which were extremely angry.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Enough already! Just give me the blasted letters!"

He looked at the envelopes in his hand. There was one from the Ministry of Magic, one from Hogwarts, and one from Gringotts. With no small amount of trepidation, Harry opened the letter from the Ministry of Magic to find his O.W.L. results.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it! I hope I wrote Anko well. I love her to pieces, but I can't seem to write her properly. Brownie points for a review. A three-course meal if you can guess Harry's O.W.L. scores, or why Gringotts is writing to him. Three-course meals for a week if you can figure the bonds between the Narutoverse and HPverse characters.


	9. In Which Harry Visits Gringotts

A/N: Bugger. It seems I've been bitten by the inspiration bug of breed be-nice-to-Harry. I'm not entirely thrilled with this chapter, but that happens to everyone. Brownie points to Chite, FoxySpirit, and ginny75 for leaving me a review. A three-course meal and firewhiskey to FoxySpirit for guessing Harry's O.W.L. scores and why Gringotts was writing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.

* * *

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Congratulations on passing your Ordinary Wizarding Level Exams. Below are you results for your __9 __ subjects._

_Subject – Theory – Practical – Overall_

_Astronomy – E – A – E +_

_Care of Magical Creatures – None – E – E_

_Charms – O – E – O_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts – O – O – O _

_Divination – A – A – A_

_Herbology – E – E – E_

_History of Magic – E – None – E_

_Potions – E – O – O_

_Transfiguration – E – O – E_

_ Denotes Top Scorer of the Year in Nations Under the ICW. Please wear the accompanying pin at all times._

_ Denotes Highest Score since the creation of the Exam. Please wear the accompanying pin at all times._

_+ Denotes that the Exam was graded on a curve._

_Sincerely,_

_Griselda Marchbanks_

_Wizarding Examinations Authority_

"Kai. Kai!"

**What are you doing?**

"My O.W.L. results… 3 Os, 5 Es, and only one A! _I passed all my O.W.L.s!_ That's unbelievable!"

**Don't sell yourself short, kid. You're the one who became a Genjutsu Master and a Seal Apprentice by age nine.**

"You know, I've been thinking about that. If I learned so quickly in the past, why have I been struggling so much at Hogwarts?"

**Hmm… I suppose when you blocked off your tenketsu, your magic blocked off anything relating to that period of time, including a significant portion of your magic, and about 30 percent of your mental capacity.**

"… So, I've been running on the intelligence of my nine-year-old self for the past seven years? Fuck. That really wasn't a smart thing to do, was it?"

**Not in the slightest.**

"You're going to torture me for at least two more weeks, aren't you?"

**Hell yes.**

Harry looked at his letter from Howgarts. It was his book list for the upcoming year. He was signed up for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, and two N.E.W.T.-level electives which he no memory of signing up for: Laws of the Heirs and International Relations. It also stated that he was Assisstant Quidditch Captain to Katie Bell. It came with a badge.

The letter from Gringotts was the most intriguing. The moment he touched the letter, he noticed the blood seal on the envelope. Biting his thumb, he smeared his blood across the parchment. It unraveled to reveal text written in Kanji on the inside.

_Potter Harry-san,_

_As you have no doubt gathered by the precautions placed on this letter, we have matters of grave importance to discuss with you. As you are the beneficiary to the Black and Potter Wills, your presence is required at Gringotts this Thursday at noon. This parchment will turn into a portkey to ensure your safe arrival._

_Griphook_

_Potter Account Manager_

_Gringotts UK_

Harry looked at his watch. He had five minutes.

"Hmm… a shadow clone should work."

Another Harry popped into existence. Running a critical eye over the figure, the real Harry said, "I'm reinforcing you with extra youkai, but don't get hit if you can help it. Do whatever Aunt Petunia tells you to. Stay out of Dudley's way. I should be back before Uncle Vernon returns home, but if I'm not, stay in the room."

The clone nodded. Satisfied, Harry grabbed the portkey and felt a familiar tug behind his navel. Seconds of swirling and flashing lights later, Harry landed at his destination. He spread his feet apart and down some chakra to keep himself grounded. His portkey landings always sucked, but at least now he wouldn't completely embarrass himself.

Harry looked around. He was in some sort of ritual chamber. He was in the center of a complex seal. He considered the goblin before him, pulling up all his memories of him. Harry bowed.

"Good afternoon, Griphook."

The goblin blinked.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter."

Another goblin approached Griphook and the two held a harried conversation in Gobbledegook.

"Ritual Master Argon has informed me the we need to speed up the ritual."

"Do I get to know what's going on, sir?"

Griphook blinked again. The Potter boy's politeness was almost unnerving. Wizards and goblins rarely got along.

"The ritual will bring your magic to maturity and remove any blocks on your person. It will allow you to attend Lord Black's Will reading in an hours without your guardian present."

"What brought this on?"

"Sheer coincidence, actually. One of our Record Keepers recently discovered that the Potter Will had never been unsealed, which means it has never been read. We suspect foul play by Albus Dumbledore, who was witness to your parents' will.

"So… is this restitution in advance for me, or late revenge against him?"

Griphook grinned toothily.

"It never hurts to have a power ally on your side."

Harry gave him a slight smile. Being thought of as a means to an end no longer bothered him; such was the life of a shinobi. He called forth some of his chakra. Lifting his shirt, he showed the seal on his stomach to Griphook.

"Is this going to affect the ritual? Because it's absolutely imperative that the seal remain intact."

"The Death Reaper Seal! You're a jinchuuriki!"

"Is that a problem?" Harry's expression remained calm, but a low-level killer intent seeped out.

"Of course not. Argon! Semet! Cagnor! Adjust the seal!"

The goblins scurried around erasing and redrawing the pattern on the floor. Harry watched them curiously and then turned to Griphook.

"How do you know of the jinchuuriki?"

"Goblins have had dealing with the One-Tail and Four-Tails before."

Harry nodded. The goblins placed themselves at strategic points and Argon began chanting.

/Son of Magic, Son of Chakra

Prophesied child of power

Marked by Light and Marked by Death

Break free of your bonds

Reveal you true self!/

The pattern glowed brightly, nearly blinding everyone in the room. Harry's muscles locked up. Sweet Merlin, it _hurt_. He threw back his head in a silent scream, as fire ravaged his veins. It tore through him, burning and scorching. In it's wake followed a ferocious river, throbbing wildly with power. He could feel two forces battling within him, Light and Dark, Healing and Poison, Creation and Destruction. They fought endlessly for dominance, until their final clash merged them into something completely new. It felt _right_ as it flowed through is veins, cleansing him.

The light vanished and the goblins saw Harry collapse, his clothes tattered beyond repair, with wisps of blue and green light – chakra – and silver – magic? – leaving his body. A ripple spread out from him obliterating the seal on the floor. Harry's breathing was labored. He didn't realize he was on his hands and knees; he was more focused on pulling his chakra back within himself and keeping his magic under control.

"Griphook… That hurt like a bitch."

"My apologies, Mr. Potter. It seems the seal put a mild block on your magic. Unexpectedly, the ritual… altered… your magical core, and possibly your chakra network."

Harry groaned an finally noticed the status of his attire. His rage were quite literally rags, burnt, torn, and covering very little of him. The Death Reaper Seal now stood out permanently against his pale skin.

"Hebi-sama, can you make it go away?"

**Afraid not, gaki. You should come see this, though. It's… amazing**_**.**_

The only outward reflection of Harry's conversation was a slight raise of an eyebrow.

"Is there a chance I could borrow something more presentable for Sirius' will?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter. I'll get some robes from your vaults. You might want to do something about your eyes."

"_Vaults_… Never mind. Let's worry about it after the reading."

Harry cast a Henge around his eyes. Griphook returned with red robes with black flames on them and the Potter crest emblazoned in gold. Mercifully, the red wasn't the vibrant Gryffindor red – he really didn't feel like wearing something that screamed 'I'm here, kill me!' quite so loudly – but a darker shade, almost burgundy. He could have done without the gold as well, but at least it didn't glint too badly. He noted that the flames rose up into the pattern of a phoenix with wings spread wide.

"We are having a _long_ talk about this."

Griphook smirked.

"Follow me, Mr. Potter."

* * *

A/N: Yay! Brownie points for a review!


	10. In Which the Will is Read

A/N: I'm baaaaaaack! I'm sorry for leaving you all, I really am. If you look on my profile, you'll know that I had issues writing Sirius' will, but I'm good now. I also inserted Jiraiya's will in this. I know canon shows no evidence that the Pervy Sage left behind a will, but I find it hard to believe that someone who had that much money wouldn't make preparations if he went off on a dangerous mission. I did a little something different with this chapter, contrasting the two wills. I hope you like it.

And for those of you who reviewed last chapter, I'm sorry I didn't reply! I was completely swamped with other stuff that I lost track of who I was supposed to reply to. Please forgive me. Brownie points to Lansar1, stefni, wert1990, kperscy, kagedfox, AiSard, akuma-chan0326, vairetwilight, Jewl4life, PotterFrkInTx, primaaryet, Chite, ginny75, and FoxySpirit!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

* * *

"Are all present for the reading of the Last Will and Testament of Sirius Orion Black?"

"All are present," Dumbledore replied.

The goblin reader raised an eyebrow. The room was fairly crowded. Almost the entire Weasley family, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore, as well as Narcissa and Draco Malfoy were present.

"You are not required to be here, Albus Dumbledore. Lord Black left nothing for you in his Will."

The other people in the room stared at the old man in shock and triumph.

"In fact, the only people required to be here are Remus John Lupin, and Harry James Potter. Everyone else must leave."

Protests of outrage broke out amongst the people gathered.

"-Ungrateful cur-"

"-Heir to the House of Black-"

"-owes us-"

"-How dare he-"

"SILENCE!"

The shout came not from Professor Dumbledore, but from a hitherto unnoticed dark-haired wizard. He walked up to the goblin and bowed deeply.

"I humbly apologize for the actions of my fellow witches and wizards, Reader Zirka."

The goblin blinked and nodded. What an unusual young man.

"Duly noted, Mr. Potter. Perhaps they would be so kind as to evacuate the room peacefully, instead of forcing a child to cover for them," she replied, glaring at the gathered disapprovingly.

For the first time in a very long time, Dumbledore panicked. Granted, it was for but a half-second before his mind started scheming again to turn the situation in his favour.

"Harry, my dear boy, it is far too dangerous for you to be here. I know you loved Sirius, but I hardly think he would want you to put yourself in harm's way like this," he said worriedly.

Harry's face remained calm and expressionless, a feat he was still surprised he could pull off. Perhaps he hadn't lost his touch completely.

"That was extremely insulting to the goblins of Gringotts, Headmaster. I highly doubt they would allow their clients to come to harm."

"Of course, of course, my boy," he replied in a knowing tone, while looking over the tops of his half-moon spectacles, "But I doubt that they have control over certain clients' actions…"

"You have yet to apologize, Dumbledore," Harry replied, his patience wearing thin.

"Harry! I understand you're grieving, but that doesn't excuse you for disrespecting the Headmaster! Apologize this instant!"

Harry had yet to turn around, and the goblin saw him clench his jaw at Molly Weasley's words.

"Forgive me, Reader Zirka, for my lapse in knowledge, but I believe Gringotts has a security team to remove unwanted persons from a meeting?"

Zirka grinned sadistically, no doubt remembering other stubborn intruders and their… fates.

"Of course, Mr. Potter. I shall call them momentarily."

"That won't be necessary. Harry, just let me deal with the Will. You need to return to Privet Drive for your own safety," Dumbledore interrupted, pushing his magic onto the boy.

Harry tensed as Dumbledore's magic tried to overcome his will. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "Reader Zirka, please have everyone other that Professor Lupin removed immediately!"

/Strike Team Four! Enter!/

Everyone besides Harry and Remus suddenly found a spear pointed at their throats.

"Leave."

A wave of killer intent emanated from Harry, creating a nameless and overwhelming fear in the others. As the room swiftly emptied, Harry's shoulders slumped and he clenched his fists.

"Damn it."

Remus was having a hard time controlling the wolf within. Its hackles had risen when the goblin had entered the room, and it had started howling when the security team had entered. But what confused his the most was that it wasn't upset about the goblins. It was upset about _Harry_.

Harry gave Zirka a small bow.

"Gomen nasai," he said softly, hoping the werewolf didn't hear. It felt right for him to slip into Japanese, when the reason he was apologizing in the first place came from Japan.

"Very well. Let us begin the reading of the Last Will and Testament of Sirius Black."

* * *

Tsunade looked at the two men in her office. Naruto still refused to make eye contact. Whether that was because he blamed her for Jiraiya's death again (the funeral had been this morning), or because he didn't want her to see his eyes, red and puffy from crying, remained yet to be seen. Beside him, Kakashi had the decency to put away his book. He stood to attention, slightly more somber than usual. She sighed and broke the seal on the scroll. She hated being Hokage sometimes.

"We are here to read the Last Will and Testament of Sannin no Jiraiya."

* * *

I, Sirius Orion Black, do so solemnly swear that I am of sound body and mind (well, as much as twelve years in Azkaban will allow) and declare this to be my Final Will and Testament. All prior Wills are to be considered null and void.

* * *

I, Jiraiya of the Sannin, do so solemnly swear that I am of sound body and mind, and declare this to be my Final Will and Testament. All prior Wills are to be considered null and void.

* * *

To my brother in all but name, Remus John Lupin, I leave the Maurader's Den and 100000 galleons. Shut up and take it, Moony. It's not going to do me any good. Oh, and before I forget, when you walk out of this bank, grab Dora and snog her senseless. I swear, if you two aren't together by the end of the year, I can and will activate a marriage contract between you two. Actually, I'll make Harry do it, since I'm obviously dead. I want to see baby Marauders running around!

* * *

To the student of my student, and my best patron, Hatake Kakashi, I leave my Icha Icha collection, inclusive of notes and manuscripts. You're a man after my own heart, Kakashi, so don't make the same mistakes I did. The one thing he hates above all else is when people hide things from him.

* * *

To my beloved godson, Harry James Potter I leave all my other earthly possessions. It wasn't your fault, Harry. My death was not your fault. It was the fault of whoever held the wand that cursed me, and person alone. Understand? Good. Now, as I mentioned before, you're going to set up a marriage contract if Remus and Tonks if Remus aren't together by the end of the year. Ask Griphook how. As for you, go snog your own redhead! I'd tell you not to leave Hogwarts a virgin, but your mum is probably hexing me to oblivion right now. Listen to me, Harry. If you sacrifice love and happiness for this war, Voldemort's already won.

* * *

To my beloved godson, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, I leave behind all my other earthly possessions. I know you'll have gone and done something stupid like blame Tsunade-hime for my death and moped about like a baby. So I'm telling you to stop it right now. None of the Hokages got where they were by crying. I believe in you, gaki. You'll make a great Hokage and make your parents proud. I'd ask you to continue my research, but your mother is probably beating me to a pulp right now. So go train, kick the Akatsuki's asses, bring home the Uchiha, and show them all what you're made of.

* * *

Have I forgotten anything? Oh yeah, don't trust Dumbledore. He's a great wizard, but he forgets that the rest of us are humans, not mindless pawn to be used at his disposal.

Yours dead-ly,

Sirius Black

* * *

Am I forgetting anything? Don't trust the Elders, Hiashi's trying to kill Naruto, and the village needs more bath houses.

Ja ne,

Jiraiya

* * *

A/N: So what's the verdict? I'm not putting separate fonts for the different languages yet, but it should be obvious what was in Japanese and what was in English. Brownie points for a review, and an oatmeal raisin cookie if you can guess why Harry knows so much about goblins customs.


	11. In Which Harry Meets an Uzumaki

A/N: Here's the other chapter for this weekend! I had actually written more for this chapter on paper, but I'm trying to keep my chapters a relatively consistent length. Besides, who doesn't love a cliffie?

Brownie points to kitluv87, Stefni, and FoxySpirit. Half a cookie to FoxySpirit.

Disclaimer: I do not won Naruto or Harry Potter. But damn, I wish I did.

* * *

Naruto rubbed his eyes. Looking at Tsunade, he gave her one of his million-watt smiles.

"Gomen ne, Baa-chan. Ero-sennin's right. I'm not going to become Hokage this way!"

Tsunade smiled back at him, her heart at ease.

"It's good to have you back, gaki. And don't call me that!"

* * *

Harry stared blankly at the floor, trying to keep his tears at bay. It wasn't working too well, as evidenced by the dark patches at his feet.

"Harry?"

Remus' soft voice had no effect on Harry, whose attention was focused elsewhere. He was trying desperately not to think of a bark-like laugh, long black hair, mischievous grey eyes, and most definitely not those grey eyes glassy as their owner fell to his death.

**Kid, what's the big deal? He was just – **

_"URUSEI!"_

Memories, emotions, and half-formed thoughts tore through his mind. The maelstrom left him feeling empty and tired. The echoing silence allowed Harry to return to the real world. He wiped the tears away. Turning to his professor, he forced his facial muscles into a smile.

"I'm sorry, Professor, did you say something?"

His smile didn't reach his eyes. Remus could tell even without his enhanced senses. Harry's normally bright green eyes were blank and emotionless. Never in all the time he had known the boy had he seen them so guarded.

"Harry, I haven't been your professor for two years. Call me Remus, or Moony."

A soft chuckle escaped the teen's lips. He felt inordinately pleased to have elicited such a response.

"That'll take some time, sir."

Remus sighed in exasperation, "You're such a stubborn cub."

Harry started, and Remus immediately regretted his words. The dark times were bringing out the wolf in him, and he shouldn't have been so forward… Then again, Harry was smiling at him, a true smile this time.

"Thanks. Hey, don't you have a metamorphmagus to snog?"

Remus groaned, "Harry, not you too! I _can't_. I'm a werewolf, not to mention thirteen years older!"

Harry shook his head.

"I'm thinking Sirius is – was – right on this one. You've got enjoy life or there's no point."

"Says the one who won't ask Ginny out."

Red crept up Harry's neck as he rubbed his nose in embarrassment. Zirka decided to take pity on him and called Griphook.

"Would you rather visit the Black or Potter vaults first, Lord Potter?"

Harry looked at Remus, who shook his head.

"It's your call, Cub. Though, I'd suggest letting the goblins clean up the Black vault first. I went to it once with Sirius… It's filled with Dark artifacts."

"Right. I'd like to see my parents' vaults first – hang on, when did I become a Lord?"

Griphook chuckled and led them to the carts.

"You are officially the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Black and Potter. In passing on his assets to you, the deceased Lord Black automatically emancipated you. You can know reclaim two seats on the Wizengamot. You also receive Potter Manor, Black Manor, known as Number 12 Grimmauld Place, and a cottage in Godric's Hollow. Unfortunately, neither the Black nor Potter families had anything in the way of investments."

Harry groaned, "Oh bugger… I am never going to be inconspicuous, am I?"

Remus laughed, "Probably not."

"So how much would it cost me to get the Black vault cleaned up, Griphook."

Griphook looked at Harry calculatingly and answered, "Ten percent."

Remus couldn't withhold his shock, his eyes shooting open, and his jaw dropping. Harry's eyes glazed over for a few moments, and he smirked.

"Three percent of the Black vault, coins only, and control of all investments."

Griphook's eyes lit up greedily. In actuality, Harry had offered more than what most purebloods would. He had simply said ten percent to test the boy. The goblins had a treasure in this boy, they did.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Lord Potter."

Remus looked between the two in confusion. Harry laughed, "Don't worry about it, Prof – Remus.

One wild, stomach-churning cart ride later, the three stood in front of a graven oak door.

"Your mother's vault is directly connected to your father's. She moved it after their marriage. The vault itself was inherited from her grandmother. You mast pass through the blood wards on hers before you can access his."

"What is it with my mother and blood wards?" Harry muttered.

Before Griphook could conjure a knife for him, Harry bit his thumb and smeared his blood over the door handle. Ignoring the look Remus sent him, he entered and looked around the vault. It was quite modest, far less gold than his trust vault, but with more trinkets. There was a large bookshelf, as well as a clothes-rack. Most interestingly, the far side of the wall was cloaked with a low-level genjutsu.

Those were your mother's favorite books – a closet Ravenclaw, she was. That box over there holds her jewelry, I think," Remus was saying.

"_Kai."_

The genjutsu shattered, revealing a trunk, a portrait, and several weapons. Unbeknownst to Harry, the influx of chakra set off a chain reaction. Kunai flew towards from the four corners of the ceiling.

"Watch out!"

A stunned Remus watched as Harry appeared in front of him, pushing him back. Four oddly shaped daggers met where his head had just been. Griphook gasped and stepped back, drawing Harry's attention. He started to rise as if pulled up by strings.

Harry created a chakra scalpel and leaped to the frightened goblin. He easily cut through the fishing wire and Griphook landed safely on the ground. Harry, on the other hand, had continued through his path of motion and was now crouched on the wall, held in place via chakra in his hands and feet. He looked around on high alert. Those strings had been attached to something. The question was, what?

The smallest flicker of light caught his attention. Remus and Griphook were surrounded by four explosive tags that were set to go off in 3… 2… 1…

"_Kuso!"_

Remus heard the paper sizzle before it exploded. Even so, the only thing he could do was thro up his hands and hope he didn't get hit too badly. Griphook, on the other hand, dropped to a crouch to protect his internal organs.

Ten seconds passed and the sound of clapping reached their ears. Opening their eyes and looking around, they saw Harry on one knee, with his hands outstretched. A pale green shield surrounded them. Thoroughly pissed off, Harry dropped the shield and turned to the sound of clapping.

In the portrait stood a woman with short red hair that curled around her ears and clear green eyes. She wore a simple grey tunic over black pants and black ninja sandals. She wore a hitai-ate with a swirl on it on her forehead.

"_Well done, my heir."_

"_Who the hell are you, and why did you try to kill us?"_

"_I am Uzumaki Hidemi."_

* * *

A/N: So how was it? Brownie points for a review. Sugar cookie to whoever figures out who Hidemi is.


	12. In Which Harry Explores A Trunk

A/N: Here's a bonus chappie in place of the Falcon's Eye prologue! FYI, _""_ is Japanese, and "" is English. I like being nice to Harry, but for you angst junkies out there, worry not! Your time will come.

Brownie points to ginny75 and kitluv87 for reviewing. Half a cookie to kitluv87 for identifying the connection, but not being explicit enough.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

* * *

"_I am Uzumaki Hidemi, second daughter of the Sandaime Uzukage of the Village Hidden in the Storm of Uzu no Kuni. I fled my people when the new daimyo came to power. I fell in love with a man named Liam Evans. Unfortunately, due to my kekkei genkai, I died in childbirth. Who are you?"_

Harry's brain had just run into a brick wall with the speed of a TGV. Above the wreckage, a bright neon sign blinked "UZUMAKI EVANS". He turned to Griphook and asked faintly, "Griphook, is there a family tree in here somewhere?"

"Indeed there is, Lord Potter," Griphook replied, pulling out a scroll from the bookshelf.

Harry spread it out and looked through it.

"Liams Evans… Hah! Liam and Hidemi had one son, Jacob Evans, who married Rose Carmichael. They had two daughters… Petunia Evans, who became Dursley… and Lily Evans… who became Potter."

"Harry?"

Harry looked at Remus in shock.

"I have a family, Remus… People like me!"

Remus' brow furrowed in confusion. He opened his mouth to comment, when Harry eyes widened and he turned to the portait.

"_What's your kekkei genkai? Did your clan survive?"_

"_My kekkei genkai is the ability to wield magic and chakra without destroying my body. I do not know if my clan survived. You have yet to tell me who you are."_

"_Gomen nasai. I am your great-grandson, Harry James Potter."_

"_Great-grandson? Interesting… I wonder why it skipped two generations?"_

"_I don't think it did, not quite. My mother, Lily Evans, could access her magic, but I'm not sure about her chakra."_

"_She didn't. My portrait would have activated if she had. Now talk to your friend. He looks very confused."_

Harry turned to Remus sheepishly.

"Er… So basically, I landed in Japan thanks to my accidental magic, got trained to be a ninja for four-and-a-half years, and then landed back in England thanks to more accidental magic. Turns out I might have family in Japan who can use magic and chakra just like me, and the lady in the portrait is my great-grandmother Hidemi Uzumaki-Evans."

Remus blinked.

"What?"

Hidemi laughed.

"Harry-kun, that is not explaining!"

Remus noticed that she had a heavy accent.

"Hidemi Uzumaki at your service."

"Remus Lupin."

"_And is that you, Griphook? My, the years have been good to you!"_

"_Arigato, Hidemi-hime"_ Griphook replied, bowing.

"_Now, Harry-kun, the trunk contains some traditional Uzumaki Clan clothes and jutsu scrolls. There're several pictures and empty sealing scrolls as well. All the weapons on the wall are yours for the taking. The have instruction scrolls in the trunk as well."_

Harry eyes had gotten progressively larger as Hidemi spoke, and she laughed at his expression. Griphook translated for Remus.

"_It has a blood seal, by the way."_

Harry nodded and bit his thumb again, spreading his blood over the clasp. As Harry pushed open the lid, Hidemi spoke, "I'm afraid my time is up, young one. My portrait will destroy itself after the seal is broken, as a safety precaution. I am glad the Uzumaki line has not died out. Live well. Take care of him, Remus Lupin."

Harry dropped the lid as Remus nodded.

"_Iie! Hidemi-san!"_

The portrait turned to rock and crumbled, and a small burst of magic flew into Harry. The raven haired teen clenched his fist and closed his eyes. Damn it! Every time he found a link to his family, it was taken away! Why did Fate hate him so fucking much?

Remus put his hand on the teen's shoulder and pulled him close. He could feel Harry trembling and his pack instincts had kicked in full force to comfort his cub. No words needed to pass between the two; the gesture itself was more than enough.

"Thanks, Remus. For being there, y'know?"

"Don't worry about it, Cub. You going to give me the full story?"

"Eh… can we check Dad's vault first?" Harry replied evasively.

Remus agreed with great reluctance. Harry looked through the trunk. On top were the pictures and empty sealing scrolls. It seemed all the Uzumaki women had red hair and startling green eyes. Underneath were clothes. He pulled out a set of black pants and a black vest with the Uzumaki swirl embroidered on in olive. There was also a forest green long-sleeved tunic, black shorts, a mesh shirt and a white turtle-necked vest with the Uzumaki crest in green by the lower hem. There were two sets of black arm guards. Beneath that were two grey weapon pouches and two black belts that held several small vials and stale soldier pills.

Beneath even that there was the same set of clothes, but shades of orange replaced the green. To the side of all this was a set of clothing for females in the same style (the shorts were replaced with a skort), but shades of red replaced the orange/green.

Underneath _all_ the clothing lay several rows of scrolls. The three taijutsu scrolls showed the katas of the Uzumaki form in Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. It looked remarkably similar to Tai Chi. The six ninjutsu scrolls were divided into Katon, Doton, Suiton, Fuuton, Raiton, and a scroll on combining elements. The bottom third of each scroll was devoted to using magic in tandem. The seven genjutsu scrolls made Harry feel like he was in heaven; one even described how to cast genjutsu through an object, much like Tay – no, not now. There was also one scroll that described casting illusions via magic, something Harry now recognized as a wandless Glamour Charm. The four kenjutsu scrolls looked interesting, each one complementing a different type of sword. Harry mostly ignored the one Kinjutsu scroll as he knew his chakra reserves were large, but nowhere near large enough for more than a few shadow clones, and he really didn't feel like dying from something as stupid as overexerting himself. The four Fuuinjutsu made him happy as well; he could finally continue past his Apprentice status… Oh dear, the summer just got a lot busier.

The walls held four katana, several sets of nii-kodaichi, a broadsword (where did that one come from?) and even a claymore. Under those were rows of kunai, shuriken, and bundles of senbon. There were even two packets of exploding tags. A strangled mewling noise came from Harry. So many things that he wanted to take…

Resisting the urge to laugh, Remus asked Griphook, "Did James leave behind his black satchel?"

Griphook nodded.

"Alright. Come on, Harry. We're going to James' vault now."

He grabbed the teenager's collar and pulled him towards the door connecting the vaults.

"But – But – Ooh! It's a book on curses!"

"No, Harry. You can come for them _later_," Remus chided, grinning. It felt good to see Harry acting like, well, a kid.

"And this is James' vault."

Harry froze, his jaw hitting the floor.

"Oh sweet Merlin."

* * *

A/N: So what's the verdict. Again, this is not super!Harry. If it were, Harry would be able to master the kinjutsu scroll, now wouldn't he? As well as all the elements and the kenjutsu and everything else. If you remember, Harry specializes in one field, and does tolerably in the others. Now, brownie points for a review, and a cookie (you get to decide which kind) for guessing Harry's elemental chakra correctly, identifying what a TGV is, guessing the significance of James' satchel or guessing what surprised Harry in James' vault.


	13. In Which Harry Explores the Potter Vault

A/N: Behold, it is a new chapter! It's pretty short, but it was technically part of the next chapter. Or the next chapter was part of it. Whatever. It's fluffy and slightly pointless, but I really wanted to write it. And I kind of had to, to continue the story. So anyway, review at the end of Chapter 14, okay?

Brownie points to ginny75, Chite, Firehedgehog, kitluv87, akuma-chan0326, and Stefni for reviewing. Half a cookie to Chite for trying to guess Harry's elemental chakra, albeit incorrectly, because I'm nice like that.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter or Naruto related.

* * *

The Potter vault was enormous. There was no other way to describe it. While his trust vault was the size of the Dursley living room, and the Evans vault was the size of Dudley's bedroom, the Potter vault was the size of the entire house! There were a few piles of gold, but mostly furniture, books, clothes, trunks, toys, tapestries, and innumerable other artifacts.

Harry's fingers trailed over the robes reverently.

"Did… Did Dad wear these?"

"Yeah. They're organized from formal to casual. You have a look around. I'm going to find something, Remus replied distractedly.

Most of the robes were black, but there were a few dark blues, greens, and reds as well. Who knew the Potters actually favored dark colors? He certainly hadn't. A little ways off, there were some light colored cotton shirts, long and short-sleeved. There were several black trousers and darker colored silk shirts. Best of all was a small note that said the clothes were charmed to fit the wearer.

Casting a small genjutsu, Harry swiftly changed out of the formal robe he was wearing and into a long-sleeved jade shirt and a pair of matte black slacks. He left the top button open and rolled up the sleeves just below his elbows. He left the shirt loosely tucked in.

A few minutes later, Remus returned with a black satchel, which he nearly dropped upon seeing Harry.

"What?"

"James… James wore his clothes like that, but he left the shirt un-tucked and rolled the sleeves up farther. Lily used to scold him for making unnecessary wrinkles in the sleeves and his lack of manners."

Harry gave a small smile. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be quite like his father anymore, not after seeing Snape's Pensieve. Then again, he was still his _Dad_, and Harry'd take what he could get. Besides, it wasn't as if he was a James clone or anything.

"What's that?"

"Here. It was your Mum's Christmas present to your Dad when they started dating. It's charmed to have an infinite space inside, as well to never weigh more than ten pounds."

Harry's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"That's wicked! So I can take stuff out, yeah?"

"Just as long as it fits in the mouth of the bag. Sirius tried to put one of the couches in. Didn't work so well."

Harry grinned. He loved hearing stories about his Dad and Sirius when they were at Hogwarts. He put some of the clothes in the satchel (mostly in shades of green and black), ignoring the odd look Remus sent his way. He wandered around, pulling out books, seemingly at random. In actuality, he was taking books about the Potter lineage and Defense Against the Dark Arts. He even grabbed one on Animagi training.

Remus followed him, his brow furrowed in thought. It wasn't that he didn't want Harry to be happy, but he seemed _too_ happy. It was as if he hadn't even heard about his vaults until today. Even worse was the expression in his eyes whenever anyone mentioned James, Lily, or Sirius. He seemed… _starved_, almost. Dumbledore said Harry was well-adjusted and adequately cared for. But then, why would he be taking the clothes? Sirius had said not to trust Dumbledore…

"Griphook, could I get an inventory of my vaults, do you think?"

Remus was broken out of his reverie by Harry's comment. The boy now held a photo album in his hand, one of him, James and Lily at Godric's Hollow.

"Of course, Lord Potter. It is one of the many services we provide our clients."

"Thank you. I think I'd like to head back to Mum's vault and then leave, if that's alright."

"Of course, Lord Potter."

"Griphook, please stop calling me that. Just Harry will do fine."

Both Remus and Griphook nearly stumbled in shock. Did Harry know what an honor he was bestowing… of course not, he was just being himself.

"As you wish… Harry."

Harry nodded in satisfaction and entered his mother's vault. He immediately took one book of pictures, two sealing scrolls and all the genjutsu scrolls. He took the Intermediate taijutsu scroll, as well as the Katon scroll. He also took the four fuuinjutsu scrolls. The scrolls he left behind; they simply didn't interest him. He also took the green-themed clothes and ten kunai, ten shuriken, and two bundles of senbon. From his mother's bookshelf, he took the family tree, and the book on curses he had seen while he was leaving.

"If that is all, Harry, we only have one more piece of business to cover," Griphook said when Harry was done. He held out two rings to Harry.

"These are your headship rings. You must wear them at all times."

Harry grimaced, but wore them anyway.

"So much for anonymity. Thank you for all your help, Griphook. Tell the others I gave my thanks as well."

Griphhok didn't know why he was surprised anymore, he really didn't. Nodding to Harry and Remus, he escorted them out of the bank.


	14. In Which Harry and Remus Have a Chat

A/N: The long awaited talk! I'm keeping this author's note short because I must go wrangle with a minor character who is inexplicably growing into a major character! Ack!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. If I did, they would have taken over the world already.

* * *

"So."

Harry looked at Remus through his lashes. They were currently sitting in a secluded booth at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry had a mug of Butterbeer in front of him. He bit his lip, wondering where to start. Seriously, he had killed countless enemy ninja, blown up the lab of one of the Sannin, and here he was afraid to talk to one of his most trusted adults.

**And therein lies the problem. You fear rejection.**

"Will he accept me?"

**I have no idea. Know this, though. No matter what happens, you have me on your side.**

"Arigato gozaimasu."

Harry lifted his head and sighed.

"What do you know about the Dursleys, Remus?"

"Your relatives? I've only met them a few times. They didn't leave a very good impression on me."

Harry snorted.

"Ever the diplomat, eh, Remus? Tell me, what's your view on punishment? A time-out? Forcing a child to go without food? Whipping them until you break the skin? Beating them until you hear the bones crack? Burning them?"

Remus looked appalled.

"Harry, what are – oh Merlin… the Dursleys… Did they…"

"They're the worst sort of people, Remus. By the time I was four-and-a-half the only thing I wished for more than death was that I could be with family. At the time, it amounted to the same thing. My magic complied. I landed somewhere in Japan, though I didn't know it at the time. Technically, I was in the Hidden Lands."

"The Hidden Lands are a myth, Harry!"

"And Sirius killed thirteen Muggles with one spell. The people there are ninjas, assassins. I was found by a very powerful ninja. Since I sort of fell from the sky with a great crack, he took me back to his base. He… liked to experiment. At the time, I was just happy that someone wanted me. He helped me learn Japanese. I made friends with his apprentice and his other wards. They were good people, for all that we were killers. He taught me to use chakra."

Harry's posture shifted. He grew slightly more confident, since his next topic had nothing to do with his personal life.

"All human are born with two sources of energy: magic and chakra. Most humans can't access either. Some humans can access their chakra, and others can access their magic. In theory no human can access both, because the energy overload would destroy them from the inside. That, and chakra flows through your body like blood, whereas magic flows in waves out of your magical core. There's a term among the shinobi – ninja – clans, kekkei genkai. It translates to a bloodline limit, or a bloodline trait. My clan – the Uzumaki – has one such kekkei genkai. It allows our bodies to harness magic and chakra without blowing ourselves up. It also gives our wandless magic a boost, since our bodies are still more attuned to molding chakra."

Harry stopped again. He held his hand beside his mug of Butterbeer and concentrated. Remus' eyebrows shot into his hairline as the mug rose and circle the table before coming back to rest in front of Harry.

"There are several branches of the shinobi arts. Ninjutsu, which is generally anything that uses chakra and is beyond the scope of normal humans. Genjutsu, which is the art of illusions, and my forte. Taijutsu bled over into the Muggle world in various martial arts. It doesn't actually require much chakra. Fuuinjutsu is the art of sealing, a cross between runes and warding here in the Wizarding world. There's also kenjutsu, which is basically swordsmanship. It's not too widely practice as most swords are ridiculously clunky and don't work too well for shinobi. Still, a swordmaster is highly respected. Still with me?"

Remus nodded faintly.

"I learned all of the above save kenjutsu, because I don't do well with long, sharp, pointy objects. Then again, that could have come about because of my kenjutsu training. I said the ninja who took me in experimented, right? Well, he experimented on the human body. A lot. It was really disturbing. I hated it, but what could I do? He took me in of his own free will. I was his. I still had friends, and I enjoyed being a shinobi except when I had to kill people. Unfortunately, there came a point when he started experimenting on _me_. In the shinobi world, there are nine immensely powerful demons known as the Tailed Beasts. He was currently in possession of one of them, the Seven-Tailed Snake. In theory, the demon can only be sealed into a newborn child whose chakra coils aren't fully formed yet. Well, we both know how well I do with theory."

Dread crept upon Remus.

"No… You're not saying…"

"I was supposed to die. I didn't. I got my chakra coils completely obliterated, and promptly rebuilt by Hebi-sama – the demon. It took a while to bring my chakra control back to where it was before the operation, but I managed. I think Hebi-sama took a liking to me because I was so against depriving a demon of its freedom by sealing it into someone. Besides, when I die, he'll just go back to Hell, where he came from. It was after that that I started studying fuuinjutsu in earnest."

"You… you… you have a demon sealed in you!"

Harry was afraid to look at Remus. He wouldn't reject him, would he? Surely he realized that he was the same Harry? He was pleasantly surprised when he felt strong arms wrap around him.

"Never," Remus whisperes hoarsely, "I'll never reject you, Cub."

Harry realized he had spoken aloud. As Harry waited for Remus to calm down, he wondered how the werewolf would react if he knew the whole truth about his four-and-a-half year stay in the shinobi world. When Remus had himself back under control, Harry continued, "Eventually my life there got bad enough that my magic decided to step in again. I ended up blowing up his lab and landing right back where I started, on Number Four Privet Drive. Remember when I said the Dursleys were the worst sort of people? They had spent the past four-and-a-half year pretending that I was bedridden, and that they were taking care of me out of the goodness of their hearts. How they managed to keep it up for so long, I'll never know. When I turned up, they were in the clear again, from Dumbledore, I suspect. Mrs. Figg had just moved in that year. They were more careful about how they treated me. I haven't been beaten since, except by Dudley. The worst they can do is starve me and shout a lot. My chores haven't changed much, though I get ignored whether I finish them or not. They make sure to feed me… enough."

Remus could tell that Harry was leaving a lot out; if only he knew how much.

"So you've managed to go five years in Hogwarts without _anyone_ finding out? Or do Ron and Hermione know?"

Harry fidgeted.

"Not exactly… You know some trauma victims get amnesia, right? It was like that for me. My magic locked away everything to do with my stay in the shinobi world, even the part of itself that I had developed. I only just unlocked it this summer when… a few shinobi visited."

He was taking a gamble revealing the truth to Remus, but he needed to know if the Order knew of Voldemort's alliance. By the looks of it, they didn't. Should he tell? He considered his options. If he told them, they'd take it out of his hands. His training would be monitored and possibly inhibited to "keep him safe". He definitely wouldn't be allowed to kill any enemy nin. He'd be cooped up again, only let out "when the time was right" and he wouldn't be able to make those bastards pay for what they did. No, he couldn't risk it.

Remus sighed.

"This is a lot to take in, Harry. The demon… he isn't dangerous, is he?"

Harry shook his head.

"I used a lot of minor supplementary seals to make sure that the only thing he can do is talk in my head. If I ever want to use his chakra, which I don't, because it's detrimental to my body, I have release the seal myself. Mind you, he still gave me his eyes and the ability to talk to snakes."

Harry released the genjutsu on his eyes. Now, instead of Killing Curse green human eyes, he had Killing Curse green snake eyes. Remus couldn't feel any more shock, he simply couldn't.

"Parseltongue?"

"Hebi-sama says it was a kekkei genkai gone wrong. Shit! I have to be back home in half an hour! Sorry Remus!"

Harry gulped down his Butterbeer, threw down a few coins, and sped out with his fastest ninja speed, leaving behind a very confused and still in shock Remus.

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A/N: cringes So what's the verdict? Good? Bad? Neither? Yes, I know I left a _lot_ of details, but that's what flashbacks are for. And it helps later with bonding. Brownie points for a review, and a chocolate chip cookie for guessing who "cared" for Harry during his stay in the Hidden Lands.


	15. In Which Harry and Snape Have a Chat

A/N: Hi people! How's it going? Finally, the summer's wrapping up! This next segment took a lot longer than I expected it to, but I couldn't cut out anything. Enjoy!

Brownie points to firehedgehog, freohr, PeopleArentSaneTheCraziesAre (that's a mouthful), gundam1, ginny75, digiwriter-1392, vairetwilight, Talon Phoenix, Chite, momocolady, and yuroshima for leaving a review! Cookies to freohr, PeopleArentSaneTheCraziesAre, and Chite for correctly guessing Harry's caretaker. I love you people!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

* * *

The summer had passed uneventfully. Naruto, Sakura, Neji, Kiba, and Hinata had worked diligently to absorb British culture along with Yamato and Anko, their contacts in the adult world, while Tsunade worked on creating a jutsu that would allow them to translate English to Japanese and vice versa in conversation. Harry continued his seal training and thanked God every day for genjutsu that allowed him to do his homework while still pretending to do his chores. And then he thanked God for shadow clones that did the chores for him.

Harry briefly wondered why no one had owled him and when he'd be able to go shopping for school supplies, and Naruto made contingency plans if his team didn't get into the Houses they planned for. They knew the Sorting was based on personality (which was stupid, really), and the five of them had sat down and considered the qualities of each House that they had been informed of. Ravenclaw was for those who loved learning. Hufflepuff was for those who worked hard. Slytherin was for the ambitious. Gryffindor was for the brave.

Sakura was the easiest to sort. She was by nature a bookworm (when she wasn't a fangirl), so she fit in Ravenclaw. Both Hinata and Naruto were incredibly hardworking, practically on par with Lee, but Naruto was driven by his goal to become Hokage. Ergo, Hinata would go into Hufflepuff. Neji could have gone into either Slytherin or Ravenclaw, but he did not learn for the sake of learning. Instead, knowledge was a tool to achieve his goals, so he would fit in Slytherin. It was a toss-up between Kiba and Naruto who would go into Gryffindor. They were both unafraid to tell people what they thought and stand up for what they believed in the face of adversity, but Naruto was more ambitious, so Kiba would go into Gryffindor and Naruto would go into Slytherin to back Neji up.

A Slytherin prankster. Hogwarts would never be the same again.

Severus Snape was not a happy man. Not by a long shot. Not only did he have to deal with the Dark Lord and his incessant need for obscure and time-intensive potions, he also had to deal with Dumbledore and his convoluted plans to save the world. He was always doing the bidding of one man or the other at any given time. He was now taking precious time out of his schedule to collect the obnoxious Potter boy, _and_ talk to an incoming Muggleborn student. It didn't help that there were no students to snarl at.

He Apparated into the woods, not far from where Harry had fought previously. Transfiguring his clothes and placing a scowl on his face, he trekked to Number 4 Privet Drive. Damn Muggles. Damn Potter.

Harry winced and poured a little youkai into his hands. They were cracked and bleeding from all the weeding as washing he did without protection. He glared balefully at the cleaning supplies sitting before him. He _really_ didn't feel up to cleaning out the bathroom again. The gleaming white made his eyes hurt.

**Just hurry up and do it, gaki. My chakra can heal your hands, but it can't do much if you die of starvation.**

"Hai, hai."

About half an hour later, he heard the front door open. Oh bugger, his Uncle was home early. His hands started moving faster, with more desperation. When the footsteps – had they been softer? Shit, don't let him be mad – Harry whirled around, crouched in a defensive position, his mouth moving faster than his mind.

"Potter!"

"I'm sorry! I swear, I'm almost done! Please don't – Professor Snape?!"

To say that Snape was annoyed would be an understatement. First, he trudged nearly half a mile to get here. Second, he got insulted by that miserable horse-faced woman who was related to Lily _against all odds_. Now, the bloody Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-Annoying was cowering in the corner of the migraine-inducing white bathroom, babbling nonsense. So much for the famed Gryffindor courage.

"What are you babbling about, Potter?"

Harry blinked and stared, taking in his onyx-eyed professor with sallow skin, lank black hair, and black silk robes.

"Why are you here? Sir?"

"What do you mean, you insufferable boy? I should have known you'd be too arrogant to worry about other peoples' schedules."

Harry willed himself to remain calm. He was a shinobi. He was master over his emotions. But damn, it was hard.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Sir."

Snape snarled, "I don't know what stunt you're trying to pull, Potter, but you'll hurry up and get your things if you know what's good for you. I don't have time to waste on you!"

Harry's jaw clenched. He replied tersely, "I really have no idea what you mean. If you have nothing better to do than to insult me, please leave. I have chores to finish."

"Potter, you-"

The front door slammed open and Harry swore. He turned back to his cleaning, hurrying to finish. Snape watched him with reluctant curiosity. Why was the boy panicking? Another thought came to him; was this why the boy was so good at cleaning cauldrons? Nonsense. He pushed the thought out of his head. This was Potter, arrogant, spoiled, pampered Potter. He was being ridiculous. The boy was just putting on an act for some idiotic reason.

"BOY! I TOLD YOU TO HAVE YOUR CHORES DONE BY THE TIME I GOT HOME!

Vernon thundered up the stairs and spotted Snape.

"What is _he_ doing here?"

"I have no idea," Harry replied bluntly.

Vernon was swiftly turning purple.; he knew he couldn't take his rage out on his nephew with an adult wizard present. Even if said wizard was looking at him as if he was pond scum.

"As I can see Potter has failed to inform you, I was sent to collect him today."

"Seriously? When was this decided? Why the Hell didn't anyone tell _me_?"

"What are you blathering about, boy? You've been written to almost daily by your sidekicks."

Harry shook his head.

"The only day I got mail was the day I got my test results. I sent Hedwig to Grimmauld Place because she was ill."

Snape didn't miss the way Harry's eyes shifted slightly towards his uncle. Perhaps they had gotten in a row and the boy's relatives had finally decided to take him in hand, which would explain the chores. He sneered, "Hurry up and get your things."

Harry set down the cleaning supplies and reflexively edged away from his uncle as he descended the stairs. He could feel Snape's eyes boring into the back of his head as he cursed silently for not controlling his body's reflexes better.

Snape watched Harry move away from his uncle. So the boy thought he was better than his relatives, did he? His heart, if he had one, would have gone out to the Muggles for putting up with the brat.

A few moments later, Harry and Snape were walking down Privet Drive, Snape's robes billowing, and Harry dragging his trunk behind him.

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A/N: So. Short, filler-like, and whatnot. Don't leave a review until Chapter 17, please. It makes things easier for me, and keeps the story flowing for you.


	16. In Which Harry Saves Mark

A/N: Yay! another chapter! SS. .SS is Parseltoungue.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. If I did, Snape and Kabuto would be living in the deepest, darkest depths of Hell right now.

* * *

"Sir, where are we going?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Potter, but we are picking up another Muggleborn student. I will be dropping you off at Grimmauld Place and taking him to Diagon Alley."

Harry considered the answer.

"Mark Evans, right?"

Snape glanced back at him.

"Figures, with the ruckus his dad threw. Sometimes I hate this town.

Snape was about to tell the boy to shut up, when they heard shouts from around the corner. Harry groaned, "Not again!"

Dudley Dursley stood over a much smaller boy and was currently kicking the shit out of him.

"Thought you could escape, did you? You owe me, punk, so pay up! It's time I taught you a lesson about who's boss around here!"

Harry saw red. He grabbed a handful of rocks and threw them at his cousin. He hissed and a large snake quite similar to a certain boa constrictor slithered out of the bushes.

SS. Surround the big one and hold him down. SS

SS. Yes, Speaker. SS

The snake launched itself at Dudley and wrapped around him like a cord. Harry knelt down in front of the younger boy.

"Mark. How bad was it?"

Mark scrambled backwards warily, declaring, "G-get away! I-I d-don't n-need help from a cr-criminal!"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"You'd better get used to it, kid. You'll be seeing me everyday for the next two years."

"But I don't go to St. Brutus'," – Mark's eyes widened – "Hogwarts?"

"Yeah-"

Harry turned as Dudley broke free of his captor and sent the wounded serpent flying. His arm shot out, allowing the snake to curl around him.

SS. My apologies, Speaker. SS

SS. Rest easy, my friend. Draw your strength from me. SS

Harry turned to his cousin, his emerald eyes blazing with power and anger. He snarled coldly, "You hurt my snake."

"What are you going to do about it, Freak?"

Dudley landed a hard punch on Harry's jaw. His head snapped to the side, but other than that, he didn't move. He slowly turned his head back face forward. His eyes glowed slightly, giving him an even more demonic look. Almost faster than the eye could see, Harry thrust his fist into Dudley's gut, knocking the larger boy back several feet.

"Let me make this perfectly clear, you pathetic imbecile. The children of Little Whinging are under _my_ protection. If you hurt them, I will hear about it, and the _no_ power, come Hell or high water will save you from my wrath. Understand?"

The bully could only whimper, and Harry reeled back his killing intent. He really need to work on that.

"I-I'll tell Dad you were using your freakishness!"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"There's nothing your father could do to me that I haven't already dealt with. Now get out of my sight."

Dudley scampered away.

Harry turned to Mark, who was now staring at him with no small amount of awe. Harry dragged his trunk over by Mark and pulled out a few vials. He helped Mark sit on the trunk.

"It's moments like these that I hate leaving."

Mark and Snape looked at him incredulously.

"What? You don't think I spent my childhood keeping Dudley and his goons away from the other kids just for them to get hurt when I left, did you?"

Harry applied a Bruise-Healing Paste onto Mark's arm as the child asked, "Y-you did that on purpose? For us? _Why_?"

Harry chuckled sadly, and tousled Mark's hair.

"One victim to Dudley's gang is more than enough. Now drink this."

After a few moments, Mark grinned.

"Thanks, Harry! I feel loads better now."

"Good. Now let's get you home. Professor Snape's here to talk to your dad."

Harry pretended not to notice the rapid drop in Mark's countenance, or the crisscrossing ridges on his back that glowed slightly (to his sight) and the healing potion worked. Meanwhile, Mark looked at the hook-nosed man. He hadn't moved at all. He just stood there, glaring at them – Harry actually – with utter loathing. He made no move to help them. Wasn't he an adult? Wasn't he supposed to help kids like him? Maybe things were different in the Wizarding world.

"Er… Professor Snape? What's Hogwarts like?"

"I'm sure you can find out for yourself in September," he replied dourly.

Harry glared at Snape as Mark wilted a little.

"Hogwarts is a good school, Mark. It's called the best in Europe."

"There are other schools?"

"Smart lad. There's Beauxbatons in France and Durmstrang somewhere in Northern Europe, Salem Witches' Institute in the U.S.A., and well as one in Brazil, and several others I can't think of right now."

"What does Hogwarts teach?"

"Well, as a First Year, you'll have Transfiguration, which is changing one object into another; Charms, which is physical properties of an object; Herbology, which is the study of plants; Potion, which is a cross Chemistry and cooking-"

"I thought Chemistry evolved from Alchemy? What Maths, Social Studies, Science, Music, and English?"

"I think they're intertwined, really. Potions involves knowing the properties of various ingredients and how and when they react. We have Arithmancy, the mathematical properties of numbers as a Third Year elective. History of Magic replaces Social Studies. Science is pretty much thrown out the window because of all the magical interference, and I don't know that we have any music classes. You'll Astronomy, though, same as you would the Muggle – non-magical, that is – world. You'll also have Defense Against the Dark Arts, which is mild combative magic. And I'm forgetting something… Oh yeah, you'll also have flying lessons!"

Mark froze.

"Flying? Harry, I'm altophobic! I can't fly!"

The smaller boy started to hyperventilate.

"Well done, Potter! Your insensitivity surpasses that of your idiot father! Evans! Stop your histrionics!"

Harry threw Snape an irritated glare, but before he could say anything, another voice called out, "What's going on here? You, get away from my son!"

* * *

A/N: Oooh... Who's the other voice? Find out next chapter! Seriously, Mark, _where_ did you come from?


	17. In Which Mark's Father is Cruel

A/N: Et voila! Une autre chaptire!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

* * *

"Mr. Evans, I-"

"Now! I won't have him associating with criminals like you! Vernon's told me all about you, how you're nothing but a burden on that good, upstanding family!"

Harry rolled his eyes for the third time that day. Seriously, these people were damn annoying. All he wanted was a solid meal and peace to meditate. He stepped away from Mark.. Or, he would have if Mark didn't have such a tight hold on his shirt. He narrowed his eyes at Mr. Evans, his suspicions confirmed.

"By calling me a criminal, you're calling your own son the same. For your information, I am a Sixth Year at Hogwarts."

"What?! No! Vernon told me you attended St. Brutus' Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys!"

Snape stifled a snort. A school for criminals? How fitting for the Gryffindor Golden Boy.

"It's called a cover story," Harry replied through clenched teeth, "Would you like one?"

"No, because _he will not be going_! He will attend Smeltings and get to know Dudley and his upstanding young friends and _not_ hoodlums like you!"

Snape raised an eyebrow. While he didn't deny that Potter was a hoodlum, it was hardly fair to tar the rest of the Wizarding world with the same brush. And did this man even know that the Dursley boy beat up his son?

"Harry's not a hoodlum! He's the only one looking out for us kids! Dudley's the rea hoodlum, what with him beating up anything smaller than him!"

"Be silent, you idiot boy! Ever since your mother died, you've been nothing but trouble! You won't get along with Dudley, and now, you get yourself invited to this freak school! I tried to beat it out of you! Where did I go wrong?"

Snape scowled. Idiot boy? Freak school? Beat the magic out of him? How dare he! What did this pathetic Muggle know? Magic was a _gift_, to be cherished. Snape knew the pain of being abused, and he would be damned before he let another child suffer!

"You ignorant man."

It was not Snape who spoke. Harry was downright pissed off, barely restraining himself from attacking the man.

"How could you lay a hand on a child? _Your child_. Mark is a citizen of the Wizarding world, and as such he is under my jurisdiction. As per the Children's Magical Aid Charter of 1465, any scion of the Most Noble and Ancient Houses attending Hogwarts is obligated to guide and protect any Muggleborn student within their borders, as set down by the Proprty Convention of 1410. I you hurt Mark in any way, I have the power to take him from you and have you tried and convicted in court for child abuse."

"Then take the bastard! I don't want him! Take his shit out of my house and leave us good people alone!"

Mr. Evans slammed the door shut, and sounds of heavy rummaging followed. As Mark's belongings accumulated on the yard, Sanpe turned on Harry. His black eyes barley concealed his ire.

"You utter and insolent fool! Do you realize what you've done?"

"Saved a boy from an abusive home?"

"And what of the consequences? Are you prepared to-"

"Step in as his guardian? To feed, clothe, and protect him? To support him emotionally and financially? Yes. I am. I made a promise to care for the children in this town, and I intend to keep it."

"Do not interrupt me, boy! This is no time for games! You aren't fit to take care of a flobberworm, much less a child!"

"STOP IT!" Mark cried.

Harry shut up immediately. Mark was shaking and a wind whipped up around him.

"Just stop it! _You're_ the one who has no idea. You've got no idea how much Harry's done for us kids, so just shut up!"

"How pathetic that you must rely on Potter's help," Snape retorted before he could stop himself.

"He's done more than any of you adults ever have!"

"Mark, that's enough. It's not worth it."

The younger boy looked torn between telling off Snape and obeying Harry. He settled on the latter. Snape filed away his outburst for later evaluation.

"Fine. You can take this up with Dumbledore."

Snape expected one of two things to happen: Potter begging him not to, or Potter looking smug. He did not expect to see the flash of intense hatred before Potter schooled his features into a neutral mask. So the boy had been practicing Occlumency, had he. He almost smirked. It was the perfect opportunity to teach Potter a lesson.

"Legilimens!"

He wasn't sure what he was looking for, perhaps some humiliating memory, or proof that the Potter boy was incapable of taking care of a child. What he found was an unending whiteness.

"Get out."

He'd barely registered the statement when he was pushed out. Forcefully.

"Potter! What was that?"

"Me kicking you out of my head."

Mark glared at the man. Only he had heard Harry hiss as his mental shields were touched. Only he was close enough to see Harry's tense muscles and the sweat on his brow that was evaporating now. Consequently, only he knew the toll it took on Harry to protect his mind.

"Why you-"

"Enough. I'm not in the mood for you petty grudges, Snape. You said you were going to take me to Grimmauld Place and Mark to Diagon Alley, right? Well, get on with it."

"Watch your mouth, Potter. You'd to well to remember that _I_ do _not_ take orders from _you_."

Snape turned on his heel and stalked away. Harry and Mark followed him at a distance.

"Is Hogwarts safe, Harry?"

Snape considered the question. He knew what Mark was asking: would there be people like his father there? The question was, did Potter understand? Did he know how to treat an emotionally damaged child? Of course he didn't. And once Potter's mistakes came to light, he, Snape, would be left to pick up the pieces.

Harry did indeed know what Mark was asking. And he couldn't truthfully answer yes. He'd faced Voldemort four times and his followers five times, fought off dementors, a basilisk, a dragon, merpeople, and a man-eating hedge, not to mention the torture that was detention, and faced enough mental and emotional torture from his peers to make a grown man cry. And all this at the "safest place in Britain". He patted Mark's shoulder comfortingly, pulling him into a light one-armed embrace.

"Whatever happens, kid, I'll look out for you."

* * *

A/N: Finally, it's done. I was sorely tempted to have Mr. Evans shoot Harry, but that would be too traumatizing for Mark. And here I thought he was going to be a minor character who occasionally showed up to offer and gain moral support from Harry. But no... he has to go and become Harry's ward! Alright, _now_ I'm offering brownie points for a review. Can't think of any reason to offer cookies, though. Sorry about that.


	18. In Which Mark Meets the Order

A/N: Oh my gosh! It's another chapter! Actually, it's a set of three. I'm just spitting them out this weekend, aren't I? This is what I do instead of studying for my AP Physics C test and my English essay.

Brownie points to yuroshima, kitluv87, DanielHimura, Hiroshima Namikaze, Lord Magis, Chite, ginny75, Firehedgehog, freohr, akuma-chan0326, RasalynnLynx, and Inumaru12 for leaving me a review. Extra brownie points for Hiroshima Namikaze for review all my other chapters at the same time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

* * *

Apparition was something Mark could definitely do without. He figured the squeezed-through-a-rubber-tube feeling came from rearranging the body's molecules, but he was starting to doubt that a wizard could tell him the answer. He could tell Harry was trying his best to paint the Wizarding world in a good light without lying.

They landed in a suburb, possibly London. Snape stalked off… and vanished. Into thin air. One minute he was there and the next, he wasn't. Mark stared in shock at the spot where he had been. Harry sighed.

"Concentrate on what I'm about to tell you, Mark. The House of Black can be found at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place."

Mark's jaw hit the floor as a house appeared out of nowhere, the door closing behind Snape. Harry grinned and ushered Mark in. The hallway was deserted. Harry pressed a finger to his lips. Leaving the trunk by the door, he quietly guided Mark to the kitchen, where everyone was gathered.

"Well, where is he?!"

Remus was on his feet, glaring at Snape. Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Ginny were seated around the table, along with Hermione, Tonks, McGonagall and Dumbledore.

"Be still, wolf, the idiot's-"

"Right here, thanks for the concern."

"Harry! Good to see you again, Cub."

Remus strode over and hugged Harry. He noticed Mark, slowly trying to hide behind Harry.

"Hello there," he said kindly.

"Mark, this is Remus Lupin. Remus, this is Mark Evans-"

"Potter's _ward_," Snape sneered.

"WHAT!?"

"Are you mad?"

"Harry, you're too young!"

"What were you thinking!?"

Annoyed, Harry waved his wand, casting the Silencing Charm with a growl.

"If you're all quite done scaring Mark out of his wits. Seriously, what is wrong with you people? Have some consideration! As a member of two of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses, I have a duty to protect the Muggleborn children in my area, and that means pulling them out of unsafe home situations. And since I am legally an adult, yes, he is my ward. Satisfied?"

Dumbledore broke free of Harry's spell.

"Harry, my boy, I understand you only have the best of intentions, but surely you realize that you're far too young for such a responsibility?"

"Headmaster, as I already explained to Sna – Professor Snape, I understand what I'm getting into. There's really nothing you can do about it."

"My boy, you have to understand that, if I understand Severus' message correctly, Mark has been through a terrible ordeal. I do not mean to belittle your own suffering, but I don't think you understand how to care for him."

Mark started to open his mouth in Harry's defense, but Harry signaled him to stay quiet.

**You could just tell him now and have done with it.**

:Um, no. Stupid man wouldn't even believe me. He hasn't believed me for the past five years, he won't start now.:

"With all due respect, Headmaster, this is none of your business. It may have been your business when I was still under the care of the Dursleys, since you put me there, but now that I'm an adult, you have nothing to do with it. Now, please excuse us, we need to get settled and leave for Diagon Alley."

He cancelled the charm and waved his wand over himself. In actuality, he used a demonic Henge to morph into a generic brown-haired, brown-eyed man. He cast a real Glamour Charm over Mark. The pair left the room, leaving a very shocked group of people behind. Fifteen seconds later, they heard Remus burst out into laughter.

Harry grinned and dragged his dragged his trunk upstairs. He could have used magic, but he didn't want to overwhelm Mark.

"Well, this room looks pretty clean. We'll put your stuff in here."

Harry stopped at a small room adjacent to the library.

"You got my stuff?"

"Well, as much as I could fit in my trunk without it getting damaged, yeah. I have a couple books, a football, and a few shirts. Sorry it's not much. We'll get you some more later, yeah?"

Mark stared up at Harry with wide eyes.

"R-really?"

"Mark, I'm your guardian. That means I can buy you clothes if I think you need them. And you definitely need them."

Mark sniffed, rubbing his nose.

"Thanks."

"The library's just next door. If you're going to read anything from there, check with me first. There's a lot of dangerous books in there, and I don't want you getting hurt, okay?"

"There's a library in the house? Wicked!"

"Figured you might like it. I'm going to dump my stuff in the room right across the hall, and then we'll leave."

Harry dragged his trunk over and swiftly emptied it. Clothes in one pile, books in another, Potions supplies in a third, ninja supplies in a fourth, and everything else in a fifth. He enlarged his broomstick and laid it at the foot of the bed. He cast a genjutsu over the fourth pile for safety's sake.

He scowled at the moldy trunk. He'd need several new robes, books, and even more potions supplies. He wanted to burn it for being so annoying.

**Then do, it, you idiot. Repressed anger is bad for you.**

Harry grinned and started putting everything moldy into the trunk. He added everything the Dursleys gave him as well.

"Incendio!"

:If I had marshmallows, they would be the best-tasting marshmallows in the world.:

"That trunk commit a mortal sin, or something?"

Harry turned to see Remus standing at the door, a smirk on his face.

"It was moldy and I pretended I had locked Snape, Dumbledore, and the Dursleys in it."

Remus shook his head.

"When are you leaving for Diagon Alley?"

"Just now, actually. Come on, Mark. Are you coming to escort us, Prof – Remus?"

"I wish. No, I'd better stay here and do damage control, especially with Molly."

Harry chuckled as they stopped at the foot of the stairs.

"Sorry about that. I love Mrs. Weasley, I really do. I appreciate how much she cares. She's what I think a mum would be like. But, since I _don't_ have a mum, I'm used to more space and less people controlling my actions. I wish she hadn't been there when I fought with Dumbeldore. I'd rather she didn't think any worse of me. She's one of the best things that's ever happened to me."

Remus ruffled Harry's hair.

"It'll be okay, Cub. Now, the two of you be safe."

Remus patted Mark's shoulder and the pair left. Not even three seconds after the door had closed, Molly Weasley burst into tears. She had been standing just around the corner, and had heard their entire conversation.

"Such – a – sweet – boy!"

"He's not a boy anymore, Molly. He never was, really."

* * *

A/N: Aww... wasn't that sweet?** Bold** is the demon talking, : is Harry replying. Leave your reviews at chapter 20, please!


	19. In Which Harry and Naruto Meet

A/N: The long awaited chapter!

_"insert word here"_ is Japanese.

**-insert word here-is the Kyuubi.**

**Insert word hereis the Shichibi.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

* * *

Mark and Harry walked the few blocks to Diagon Alley with Harry keeping up a constant stream of chatter about the shops they were about to visit. He stopped in front of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Wow. You'd think people would notice a rundown pub like that in the middle of the street."

"That's because of all the enchantments on it. Muggles can't see it at all. Come on."

With a nod to Tom, the pair exited out the back. Harry tapped the bricks and grinned as Mark's jaw got progressively slacker and his eyes wider as the Alley was revealed.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Mark."

* * *

"_Why are we here again?"_

Kiba scowled and fidgeted as he watched Hinata and Sakura splurge on books. Who knew the loud, slightly overbearing pink-haired girl and the shy, quiet Hyuuga had something in common? Naruto simply laughed at their antics, replying, _"It's better to have all our school supplies before we meet the Order. That way we don't have any awkward questions about our wands."_

"_Che. I'm bored! Come on, already, let's go!"_

Sakura and Hinata turned identical glares on him, which actually somewhat scary on Hinata's face. Spending so much time with Sakura and Naruto had done wonders for bringing her out of her shell. Kiba wilted, and Neji repressed a snicker. Hyuugas did not snicker.

Paying for their purchases, the five met up with Anko and Yamato outside the shop. Anko looked annoyed that she had to wear a dress. Yamato… well, he was like Shikamaru in that not much could faze him.

"_Dammit, why do I have to wear this? It hinders my movement so much! I mean, honestly! I'm a sitting duck in this thing!"_

"_Anko-chan, even in a robe, you can still move much faster than anyone else here. Besides, since we're going to get robes for school, we can find you something better, alright?"_

"_Fine."_

* * *

"Come on, let's go down to Madame Malkin's first. We can get you measured for robes and then come back after we're done shopping."

Mark could only nod. As they entered the shop, Madame Malkin looked up at them.

"Please remove your Glamours, sirs."

Harry raised an eyebrow. She shouldn't have been able to tell he was in disguise. Oh wait, The magic from Mark was probably bleeding over to him a little. He cancelled the charm and dispelled the Henge.

"Sorry about that, Madame Malkin. You can never be too careful."

"Oh! Mr. Potter! Of course, I completely understand. Didn't you hear? Reporters have been forbidden from Diagon Alley during the school shopping weeks unless there's an attack. Even the book signings have been stopped."

"Well, that's good news. Mark here is heading to Hogwarts this year. He's needs the required robes, as well as a few casual ones. I need some work robes as well."

The seamstress nodded.

"Well, I'll get you measured up first, then the lad."

A few minutes later, Mark was up on the podium being grilled about what kind of casual robes he wanted. Harry's eyes roamed the shop. He'd never really taken a good look at the place before, since he'd always been in conversation with others. He spotted some racks of Muggle clothing at the back – probably for the Muggleborns.

He slipped away to have a look. There was a good selection of jeans, which he thought about buying, and many more T-shirts. Some were obviously charmed, but others looked completely Muggle. One in particular caught his eye. It was black, with silver writing on it saying "Murphy's Bitch" on it. He could just imagine the look on Mrs. Weasley's face if she caught him wearing it. On the back were listed Murphy's Laws. He reached for it, his hand colliding with another tan one.

"Sorry!"

"Oh, sorry about that!"

The other boy was blonde with startling blue eyes. He had six thin lines across his face like whiskers. He was wearing a generic grey robe. He grinned sheepishly.

"No, really, it's my fault. It's just that shirt is pretty much the story of my life. The name's Naruto. You go to Hogwarts?"

"Harry. Yeah, I'm a Sixth Year. Are you transferring?"

"Yeah. Man, I'm nervous."

"Don't be. Naruto's a… Japanese name, right?"

Naruto looked surprised.

"Yeah, it is."

Harry put back the shirt and stuck out his hand.

"Good luck this year, alright?"

"Thanks, man," Naruto replied, taking his hand.

The world froze.

**BROTHER! BROTHER! THE CHILD! MY BROTHER SEALED WITHIN THE CHILD! REUNITE! I MUST REUNITE WITH MY BROTHER!**

**-IT'S HIM! THE LAST OF THE THREE! I MUST GO TO HIM! DAMN THIS SEAL! I MUST GO!-**

They let go of each other's hands faster than necessary, though neither noticed that. Their smiles became considerably more fixed. The world unfroze. Unbeknownst to the other, both Jinchuuriki were thinking the same thing.

_What the Hell was that?_

"Harry! I'm done!"

Harry snapped out of his reverie and saw Mark approach him.

"Great, kiddo. You want any Muggle clothes? I'm buying a couple jeans, myself. Though not the shirt, as much as it fits my life. Mrs. Weasley would kill me."

"Alright. Thanks a lot, Harry. I'll see you around. Later, kid."

Naruto grabbed the shirt and left. Mark and Harry spent a few more minutes picking out some clothes before leaving as well.

"Now, let's get your books."

"Yay! A bookstore!"

* * *

Naruto left the store deep in thought. His companions noticed it immediately.

"_Yo, dobe, what's up?"_

"_I just met Harry Potter. And the Kyuubi went on a frenzy."_

"_NANI!?"_

"_Dammit, Dogboy, keep it down!"_

"_What do you mean, Naruto-kun?"_

"_It started screaming about some "last of the three" dude and how it had to "go to him" and banging against the seal."_

"_That's disturbing. Perhaps you should have Yamato-san check the seal."_

"_Maybe later. My Shadow Clone just told me that the wand store is clear."_

* * *

Setting Mark loose in a bookstore was like setting a five-year-old loose in a candy store. He tore through the shelves, grabbing anything and everything that looked interesting. Harry followed behind, laughing. He picked up copies of the textbooks that had been ruined in his trunk, as well as few extras, and made sure Mark wasn't taking anything too advanced.

Suddenly, the boy stopped short.

"Harry… there's… there's…"

"Oh, damn. I was hoping you wouldn't find out about this yet. Er, yeah… all of those are pretty much bullshit. The only truth is that I've got a psychotic murderer after me, and I'm lucky as all Hell. I'll tell you the full story when we get back home, okay?"

"That's why Madame Malkin told you about the reporters, and why the other adults wanted you to change the way you look, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah. You got enough books?"

"What? No! Are you joking?!"

Harry chuckled as Mark continued through the shelves. Crisis averted.

* * *

A/N: :hides: Don't kill me!


	20. In Which Almost Everyone Gets A Wand

A/N: :Looks around cautiously: No pitchforks? Good. Here's the last installment for the week.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

* * *

Ollivander was curious. Ollivander was very curious. Seven people, who by rights were Muggles, stood in shop. Well, actually, there was a dim spark of magic in two of them, but the other were a complete mystery. The bell tinkled again, and a redhead walked in. A Weasley? No… no Weasley had eyes that… jaded.

"_Ohayo, Gaara! Glad you made it!"_

"_Ohayo, Kazekage-sama."_

"_Ohayo, minna."_

"Ollivander-san, could you please come out?"

The woman with purple hair was looking right at him. Curioser and curiouser.

"Welcome to my shop. I must remind you that Muggles cannot use wands."

"Hello, Ollivander-san. That's what we came to talk to you about. You see, the eight of us are shinobi from the Hidden Lands. We have been hired by Dumbledore-san to watch over Hogwarts. Myself, Neji, Hinata-chan, Kiba, Sakura, and Gaara will be enrolling in Hogwarts. We were told you could make wants with a preset amount of magic in them," the blonde replied.

"I see… it's a relatively recent development, you understand, and will therefore cost more."

"Yes, sir."

"Alright. Gaara, which is your dominant hand?"

"My right."

"Try this. Oak and unicorn hair, twelve inches."

The wand exploded.

"Oh dear, no. Try this. Yew and thestral tail-hair. Ten inches."

Gaara waved the wand and his hair fluttered.

"It feels… warm."

"Intersting. That wand is made up of what many would consider Dark materials. It is powerful to the point of brutality. Use it with care."

Gaara nodded. Kiba was next.

"Macassar ebony and scale of a Hungarian Horntail. Ten-and-a-half inches."

Sparks shot out of the wand.

"Oh, very nice. It lacks some finesse, but is a good all-around wand."

Sakura was next. She also got her wand on the first try.

"Cherry with unicorn tail-hair. Eleven inches. Very good for healing."

Neji was a little harder.

"Holly and phoenix feather. Thirteen inches."

Ollivander snatched it back before Neji could wave it.

"No, no. Try this. Birch and dragon heartstring of a mixed breed. Nine-and-a-half inches."

The wand exploded, though with less force than Gaara's.

"No, no… Hmm. Try this one, then. Blackthorn and the hair of a Grim. Ten-and-a-quarter inches."

The tip of the wand glowed brightly and it hummed a little in Neji's hand.

"Interesting. A wand generally for Seers, or Children of Fate, as they are called. However, it can be used well as an all-around wand for other magic as well."

Neji was staunchly ignoring the snickers of the other teens at the mention of Fate.

"Now, Hinata, you are aware you have some magical blood in you?"

"_Nani!?"_

"What!?"

"I see you are not. It is quite diluted, but present none-the-less. I believe I can get you a real wand. The cost will be significantly less. The tape will measure you while I go find some wands."

Hinata was surprised to find a tape measure flitting around her. She made an "eep" when it started measuring her nostrils, which led Naruto to laugh, and her to blush. Ollivander smiled at the scene of youthful camaraderie.

"I believe I have just the one. Ziricote with a Phoenix feather. Ten-and-a-half inches."

Silver sparks shot out of the wand.

"Wonderful! A very good wand for Healing and Defensive Magic."

Naruto stepped up for his wand, but Ollivander shook his hand.

"I cannot give you a wand, young man. Your magic has been bound. I would suggest you visit Gringotts. Ask for Seal Master Argon. That will be forty-seven Galleons overall."

Yamato paid as Naruto had gone into shock.

"_That's impossible. You can't have magic and chakra active in your body at the same without destroying it… But Hinata-chan's alive, right? Kami, why do I constantly manage to defy the laws of Nature like this?"_

"_You wouldn't be Naruto if you didn't, gaki."_

"_Anko-chan…"_

"_Ano, it's going to be alright, Naruto-kun. Let's go to Gringotts and see what they say."_

"_Hai…"_

They led the stunned blond out of the shop and down to the bank.

* * *

"Alright, so we've got all your school supplies, and that cat that followed you out of the pet store is still following you. I think it might be your familiar."

"What!"

"See, right there – snow white with a black ear."

"Can I keep it, Harry? It's so cute!"

Harry sighed, "Fine, fine. We can get some cat food later. Now, we're going to get a wand."

"Wicked!"

Harry ushered Mark into the musty old store and called out, "Hello, Mr. Ollivander!"

"Ah, Mr. Potter, how good to see you again."

"We're here for Mark's wand, sir."

"Well, then. Let's get started, shall we. That's quite enough, thank you," he said sharply when the tape measure tried to measure the length of Mark's ear canal.

"Ah! I believe I have just the one! Here, try this. White Ash and hair from a unicorn's mane, eleven inches. Good for Runes, Charms, and Warding. Go on, give it a wave."

Mark waved it, and a wreath of light danced around his arm. The boys stared at it in fascination. Harry remarked, "So this is what wand shopping is supposed to be like."

Mark looked at him curiously.

"I didn't get my wand on the first try. It took me what, an hour to find the right one?"

"Yes, yes, you were a tricky customer, and I have no doubt you'll be one again. Do hold still, boy!"

"But I already _have_ a wand, Mr. Ollivander!"

"Nonsense. After your core changed, it's a miracle that wand does anything at all!"

Harry froze.

"How did you know that?"

"Magesight. How do you think I decide which wands correspond to which wizard?"

"Magesight? As in, seeing magic? The swirly stuff that's surrounding every – ow! Dammit, stay out of my ear!"

This day was turning out to be more and more interesting. Who would have thought Harry Potter possessed Magesight? And now that he thought about it, the magic was similar in pattern to that young lady, Hinata, who had passed through not too long ago. He glanced around his shop. Unlike last time, none of the wands seemed to be responding to the Potter boy.

"I was right, Mr. Potter, you are proving to be quite the customer. Please excuse me a moment."

Harry looked at the retreating form of the wandmaker. He sighed, "I am _never_ going to be normal, am I?"

"Probably not," Mark replied helpfully.

Almost a half-hour later, Ollivander returned with a box. He looked dusty, as if he had searched high and low for this wand. Well, he had, but Harry and Mark didn't know that.

"Try this, then."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you giving me a thick senbon with a handle?"

"Don't be ridiculous, boy! Birch, quite rigid, ten inches, imbued with the venom of a basilisk throughout the wood, which is why it's so thin."

Harry waved it, and warmth filled him, not from his arm, but from his core. It felt better than his holly wand, even.

"Wow. That feels amazing."

"Good, good. I was wondering if I'd ever get a customer for that. A tricky wand for a tricky customer, then. That one will serve you well in the coming days, Mr. Potter. I did say we could expect great things from you, did I not? That will be fourteen Galleons total."

"Yes, sir."

Harry paid and the pair left the shop.

"Next stop, Gringotts. We're going to get your guardianship finalized, Mark."

* * *

A/N: Whew, finally done. Brownie points for a review, obviously. Cookies if you can give the reasoning behind which woods I chose for which person. Another cookie if you can guess what House at Hogwarts I'm going to put Mark in.


	21. In Which Everyone Finishes Shopping

A/N: Everyone alive? Good! This'll be the last chapter for about two weeks. I'm just tying up loose ends here. Oh my gosh! 96 reviews, 20,212 hits, 38 C2s, 68 Favs, and 152 Alerts! My baby story is... is... popular! :bursts into tears: My story feels loved.

Brownie points to FoxySpirit, Hiroshima Namikaze, RasalynnLynx, Chite, Inumaru 12, rose-of-alabaster, yuroshima, Firehedgehog, ginny75, kitluv87, panther-73110 for leaving a review. Cookies to FoxySpirit and kitluv87 for guessing Mark's House!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto, and it makes my heart bleed. Look. Blood.

* * *

Yamato stepped up to the teller.

"Excuse me, we were recommended to see Seal Master Argon by Mr. Ollivander."

The goblin looked up and glared at him for a long moment.

"One moment."

As he left, Kiba muttered, _"Nice creature. Oi, Naruto! Snap out of it!"_

"_Gomen. It's a lot to take in."_

Ten minutes of people watching later, the goblin returned with a friend.

"Follow me," Argon said.

The eight of them trekked through the winding corridors of Gringotts to a large chamber. Argon turned to the ninja group.

"Whose magic has been bound?"

Naruto stepped up.

"Do you know why or by whom?"

"_Iie_… That is, no."

Argon grunted and began casting diagnostic spells. No intelligence blocks… No Light Magic… No Dark Magic… No Blood Magic… Oh, not _again_!

/Alert Griphook. Redraw the seal from Mr. Potter's ceremony!/

Goblins scurried around, and everybody except Naruto watched in fascination. Argon guided him to the center.

"This will hurt," he warned, as the blond took his place at the center of the room.

/Son of Magic, Son of Chakra,

Prophesied child of Destiny,

Marked by the God of Death,

Break the bonds placed upon you,

Reveal you true self!/

Naruto threw back his head and screamed. Dear Kami, it _hurt_. He'd never felt pain like this before, not with Orochimaru's seal, not when Sasuke had shoved a Chidori through his chest, not even when he was working with the Rasenshuriken. It was as if every part of him was on fire, burning and scorching until there was nothing left.

"Naruto-kun!"

"Naruto!"

The shinobi tried to move, but found themselves frozen in place. Cagnor, who had helped create the seal again, warned them, "It's too dangerous for you to move now."

"What the Hell are you doing to him, shitstain!" Anko snarled.

They listened to the blond's tortured screams until a pulse of energy emanated from him, destroying the seal. Just as before, the boy in the center was on his knees, panting, his robes in tatters. Suddenly, every goblin found a black dagger at their throats. Anko had Argon by the throat.

"_Ne, Anko-chan, minna, leave the goblins alone. I'm okay."_

Naruto looked barely conscious, silver, blue, and red mist wafting off his body. He looked down at his clothes.

_"Aww man! Now I need new clothes!_"

_"Naruto-baka! How can you think of clothes right now!"_

_"Che. Dobe, you were screaming in agony for Kami knows how long, and now you're worried about clothes?"_ Kiba scowled.

_"Well, you would be, too, if you_ – hey, why isn't the seal disappearing?"

"A side effect," Argon rasped after Anko dropped him.

"Jeesh… So how much is this gonna cost?"

"40 galleons, or 4000 ryo."

_"NANI?!"_

Naruto refused to allow the others to pitch in, and paid it out of the money he would have used for emergency food and weapons. The goblins, all to eager to be rid of them, ushered them out of the room, barely giving him time to put on a new set of pants. He was just pulling his T-shirt over his head when he walked into the foyer – and right into someone else.

"Sorry!" both people said at the same time, and then they burst out laughing.

"Hey, Harry."

"Hey, Naruto."

They set about gathering Harry and Mark's supplies, exchanging pleasantries. Subconsciously, they were avoiding skin contact.

"I see you wore the T-shirt. It's a good fit."

"Yeah? Thanks! You here to make a withdrawal?"

"Nah, just some family business. Mark! Grab the cat food! I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Sure!"

Harry shook his head as the watched the blond dart through the crowds. He approached the teller.

"May I please speak to Griphook?"

The goblin blinked. Oh, right. The was the young Potter and his unnerving politeness. Nice to know there was a wizard out there who knew how to respect others. Acting magnanimous like Dumbledore didn't count.

"One moment, please. Griphook! You client is here!"

Griphook appeared from behind several stacks of parchment.

"Ah! Lo – Harry! How may I be of service?"

"I'd like to claim guardianship of Mark here."

"I see. Follow me, please."

The three of them moved to a small office. Griphook pulled out several papers.

"You'll need to fill these out. Sign here, here, and here."

While they were filling out the required information – "Hey, Mark, your middle name's Daniel, right?" – the goblin pulled out a grey tablet with several glowing runes etched into it. When Harry and Mark finished signing, he motioned for them to put their hands on the tablet.

"This tablet will make the guardianship official by tying a bit of your magic. Don't worry; it won't affect your core in any way."

There was a flash of light, and Harry Potter was officially the guardian of Mark Evans.

"That's it? Seriously?"

"Well, I might have bypassed several steps on inspecting your finances and stability thanks to some loopholes in the CMAC. By the way, have you considered naming an Heir?"

"Come again?"

"An Heir. Someone to leave you money to in the event of your death. You could even name an Heir Presumptive until you have a child."

"Er… Hey, Mark! You want ridiculous amounts of money and political power if I die?"

"WHAT!?"

"I'm considering naming you my Heir until I have kids."

"Wha – but – I – you – know – huh?"

Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing. The poor kid was so flustered.

"Um… yes?"

"Lovely! Merlin, I sound like Lockhart. Ugh, bad thoughts. So, what do we have to do, Griphook?"

The goblin raised an amused eyebrow. If he thought Harry's actions were impulsive, he didn't say anything.

"Tap your wand and say that you name him Heir Presumptive."

Taking out his birch wand, Harry said, "I, Harry James Potter-Black, name Mark Daniel Evans Heir Presumptive."

There was another flash of light.

"Was that it?"

"Yeah, Griphook, did you find more loopholes?"

Griphhok was looking through his papers very intently.

"Oh, before I forget! Is there any way to check for dormant magical blood in Mark?"

"Yes, actually. If you could place a few drops of blood on the tablet…"

Harry pricked Mark's finger with the dagger that Griphook handed him, and they waited. After a good deal of buzzing and humming, a name appeared on the tablet: Sheridan.

"Ah, the Sheridan family. They died out quite some time ago, I believe. There's not much to their name save some money you can access upon your majority. It's not a lot, but you should be able to live comfortably for a year after you finish school."

"That's good," Harry replied, since Mark had gone into shock again.

Patting his ward on the shoulder, Harry bowed to Griphook. Mark copied him absently.

"Thank you, Griphook. Come on, kid. We've got to pick up our robes and get my trunk."

* * *

"Ollivander-san?"

"Ah, welcome back! I trust the goblins were accommodating?"

"Er… yes."

"Well, let's get you measured, then."

Ollivander hummed as Naruto watched the tape measure flit across his body. He had a feeling it was just a distraction while the wandmaker searched through his shop. A few minutes later, Ollivander handed him a wand.

"This should do it. Alder, ten-and-a-half inches with a phoenix feather taken at burning day."

Naruto felt warm and tingly as he waved his wand. There was a soft glow and his hair fluttered. A feeling passed over them, like killing intent, except… happy. The wandmaker looked positively ecstatic.

"Wonderful! That is a strong wand, good for both offensive and defensive magic. That will be 7 galleons."

The shinobi paid and left, but not before catching the old man's parting words.

"A good wand for a good leader."

* * *

A/N: Wow, that was long shopping trip. Just as a note, the Sheridan family will probably never be mentioned again. I just put it in as a safety net for Mark. Brownie points for a review! Cookie if you can explain Naruto's wand to me.


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